A local coroner in Alabama has identified the 18-year-old man who died in the shooting at Tuskegee University. La’Tavion Johnson was the only one who died inside weekend back home incident, but 16 others were injured. About a dozen people in that group were injured by gunfire.
Although most of the injured were students, Associated Press reports that La’Tavion Johnson did not. The shooting broke out as the school’s 100th homecoming week was coming to an end.
Details about the Tuskegee University shooter
Hours after the shooting, local police arrested a suspect, Jaquez Myrick. He is 25 years old and from Montgomery. According to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, Jaquez was leaving the Tuskegee University campus with a handgun with a machine gun conversion device.
Myrick faces federal charges of possessing a machine gun. It did not accuse him of using a gun in the shooting or provide further details. Additionally, the agency did not say whether Myrick was a student at the historically black college.
It was not immediately clear whether Myrick has an attorney who could speak on his behalf. As of Monday, police had him in custody at the Montgomery County jail, online booking records show.
What happens next?
As mentioned, 12 people were injured by gunfire. State authorities said four other people were injured unrelated to the gunfire. According to a statement from Tuskegee University, medical professionals at East Alabama Medical Center in Opelika and South Baptist Hospital in Montgomery are treating the injured.
Their conditions remain unclear. However, Macon County Coroner Hal Bentley said he understood that at least one of the injured was in critical condition.
The FBI has joined the investigation and said it is seeking tips from the public as well as any possible video witnesses. It sets up an online website for people to upload videos. A local prosecutor said the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is also involved in the investigation.
Tuskegee University canceled classes Monday and said grief counselors would be available at the university chapel to help students.
Sunday’s shooting came just over a year after four people were injured in a shooting at Tuskegee University student housing. Two visitors to the school were shot, and two students were injured while trying to leave the scene of what school officials described as “an unauthorized party” in September 2023, Montgomery Advertiser report.
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Associated Press reporter Jeff Martin contributed to this report.
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