By Redaccion
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The man killed during a homecoming weekend shooting at Tuskegee University has been identified as 18-year-old La’Tavion Johnson of Troy, Alabama, according to the local coroner on Monday.
Sixteen others were injured in Sunday’s incident, with 12 of them suffering gunshot wounds, authorities said. Many of those injured were students, though Johnson was not. Hours after the shooting, one arrest was made.
Jaquez Myrick, 25, of Montgomery, was detained as he left the scene. He was found with a handgun equipped with a machine gun conversion device, according to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. Myrick faces a federal charge of possession of a machine gun. Officials have not accused him of using the weapon in the shooting, and no additional details were provided.
It was not disclosed if Myrick is a student at Tuskegee University, a historically Black institution where the shooting occurred as the school celebrated its 100th homecoming week.
Myrick’s attorney status is currently unknown, and he is being held in the Montgomery County Jail, online records show.
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency reported that 12 people sustained gunshot wounds, while four others were injured in ways unrelated to gunfire. Several of the injured are being treated at East Alabama Medical Center in Opelika and Baptist South Hospital in Montgomery, according to a statement from the university.
While details on their conditions were not immediately available, Macon County Coroner Hal Bentley noted that at least one person is believed to be in critical condition.
The FBI has joined the investigation and is seeking public assistance, including video footage from witnesses. An online platform has been set up for video uploads. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is also assisting, according to a local prosecutor.
In response to the tragedy, Tuskegee University canceled classes on Monday and announced that grief counselors would be available in the university chapel to support students.
“This senseless act of violence has touched each of us, whether directly or indirectly,” said Amare’ Hardee, president of the student government association, during the school’s homecoming convocation on Sunday morning.
Sunday’s incident comes just over a year after another shooting at a Tuskegee University student housing complex injured four people. In September 2023, two visitors to campus were shot, and two students were injured while trying to leave an “unauthorized party,” according to reports by the Montgomery Advertiser.
Approximately 3,000 students are enrolled at Tuskegee University, located about 40 miles east of Montgomery, Alabama’s capital.
Founded in 1881, the university was the first historically Black college designated a Registered National Landmark in 1966 and later became a National Historic Site in 1974, according to the school’s website.
