Gunfire Near Florida A&M Homecoming Game Wounds 12, Including Six Children
Tallahassee police say a fight in a crowded area after the football game preceded the shooting. No arrests have been made, and one victim remains in critical condition.
At least 12 people were wounded, six of them children, when gunfire erupted near a football stadium in Tallahassee, Florida, on Saturday night during Florida A&M University's homecoming weekend. No arrests have been made, and police have not publicly identified a suspect.
Police Chief Lawrence Revell said a preliminary investigation indicates that a fight broke out in a crowded area after the football game and that shots were fired afterward. Eleven people suffered gunshot wounds, according to figures released by police. The department's accounting of the 12 injured does not explain the difference between the two numbers.
On Sunday, police said six victims remained hospitalized and five had been discharged. One of the hospitalized victims was in critical condition. Earlier on Saturday night, police had said at least three people had serious injuries and nine others were in stable condition.
"Tonight, our thoughts are with the victims and their families as they face the devastating impact of this violence," Revell told reporters. "It is especially heartbreaking to know that children are among those injured."
The shooting happened near the university's campus, not on it. Florida A&M said on social media that the incident took place nearby and that the campus remained safe. Homecoming is one of the biggest weekends of the year at the historically Black university, drawing alumni, families and visitors from across the region for a football game, parades and tailgating. Crowds around the stadium after a game can be dense, and police said the fight that preceded the gunfire occurred in just such a crowd.
Investigators have not said how many shooters were involved, whether the people hit were targeted, or what started the fight. The Tallahassee Police Department has asked anyone with video or information from the area around the stadium on Saturday night to come forward.
The wounded include six children, a detail that has drawn particular attention from officials. Police did not release their ages or the extent of their injuries beyond saying that the hospitalized victims are being treated. Five of the 12 had already left the hospital by Sunday, according to the department.
The shooting is the latest incident of gun violence to hit a major college event this fall, and it came on a weekend meant to celebrate a university community. The investigation is continuing, and police said more information would be released as it becomes available.
Police have not said whether any of the victims were connected to the fight, or whether the gunfire came from one location or several. Chief Revell said the department would share further details once investigators have interviewed witnesses and reviewed footage from the stadium area.
