The individual who lost his life in a shooting during Tuskegee University’s homecoming weekend has been named as 18-year-old La’Tavion Johnson from Troy, Alabama, as confirmed by the local coroner on Monday.
The tragic incident resulted in 16 others being injured, with 12 of those suffering from gunshot wounds, according to officials. Notably, Johnson was not a student at the university.
Authorities have arrested 25-year-old Jaquez Myrick from Montgomery in connection to the incident. Myrick was apprehended moments after exiting the scene of the shooting, where he was found in possession of a handgun that had a machine gun conversion device. According to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, Myrick is facing a federal charge for possessing a machine gun; however, there has been no mention of him being directly linked to the shooting, nor have further details been provided regarding the case.
It remains unclear whether Myrick holds any student status at the historically Black university, where the shooting took place amid the conclusion of the institution’s centennial homecoming celebrations. As of now, there is no indication that he has legal representation, and he is currently detained at the Montgomery County jail, as per online booking records.
In total, 12 people suffered gunshot-related wounds, while four others incurred non-gunshot related injuries, according to the state agency. The university reported that several injured individuals are receiving treatment at both East Alabama Medical Center in Opelika and Baptist South Hospital in Montgomery.
Though specific details on the victims’ conditions were not immediately available, Macon County Coroner Hal Bentley mentioned that at least one injured person is reported to be in critical condition. The FBI has joined the investigation, actively requesting assistance from the public for any tips or video evidence they might have related to the incident. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is also contributing to the inquiry, as stated by a local prosecutor.
In response to the shooting, Tuskegee University canceled classes on Monday and announced that grief counseling services would be made available to students in the chapel on campus.
The atmosphere on campus remains tense and shaken, according to Amare’ Hardee, a senior and president of the student government association from Tallahassee, Florida. “This senseless act of violence has touched each of us, whether directly or indirectly,” he remarked during the university’s homecoming convocation on Sunday morning.
This incident follows a prior shooting incident that occurred just over a year ago, in which four people were injured at a Tuskegee University student housing complex. During that event, two visitors to the campus were shot, along with two students who were injured while attempting to escape what officials described as an “unauthorized party” in September 2022.
Currently, Tuskegee University serves approximately 3,000 students and is located about 40 miles (64 kilometers) east of Montgomery, Alabama’s capital city. The institution holds a significant historical status, being the first historically Black college to gain designation as a Registered National Landmark in 1966 and later recognized as a National Historic Site in 1974.
