Arrest made in homecoming week shooting at Alabama’s Tuskegee University that killed 1, injured 16

By Paradise Afshar, Chris Boyette, Michelle Watson and Cindy VonQuednow, CNN

(CNN) — Authorities have arrested a man in connection with a shooting that killed one person and injured more than a dozen others on the last day of homecoming week at Alabama’s Tuskegee University early Sunday morning, according to the university and state authorities.

The victim was 18-year-old La’Tavion Johnson, of Troy, Alabama, the Macon County coroner told CNN in a phone call Sunday. Johnson was not a student at the university, and the shooting occurred at an event that was not sanctioned by the school.

At least 16 people were injured as a result of the incident, with at least 12 of those injured by gunfire, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said in a post on X Sunday.

“Several others including Tuskegee University students were injured and are receiving treatment at East Alabama Medical Center in Opelika and Baptist South Hospital in Montgomery,” according to the university. Authorities did not say exactly how many others were wounded or provide information on their conditions.

Authorities have arrested Jaquez Myrick, 25, in connection with the shooting, according to a Sunday news release.

“Myrick was found leaving the scene of the shooting that occurred on the campus of Tuskegee University,” the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said. “Myrick was arrested and charged federally with possession of a machine gun.”

It’s unclear where Myrick is being held or if he has an attorney at this time. CNN has reached out to the law enforcement agency for more information.

The shooting occurred at an event that was not approved in advance by the university and was not sanctioned by officials, university president and CEO Mark Brown said Monday.

“Nonetheless, it happened on campus, and we take full responsibility for allowing a thorough investigation and implementing corrective actions,” Brown said. “Students are our greatest asset, and we will do everything possible to protect them.”

There are no plans to change the school’s homecoming tradition in the future and protocols were in place to keep students and others safe during the weeklong festivities of the school’s centennial anniversary of the event, Brown said.

The campus will remain closed through Tuesday, but counseling is available to students. School officials are also allowing students who live near the shooting scene to relocate if they desire, Brown said.

Effective immediately, the university is no longer an open campus and an ID is required to enter, Brown said. The ID cards must be worn at all times while on campus, he added.

The university has hired a new campus security leader after the incident, though the name of that person was not announced Monday. The previous campus security chief was relieved of his duties, Brown said.

The shooting is among at least 454 mass shootings reported so far this year in the United States, according to the Gun Violence Archive, which, like CNN, defines a mass shooting as one that injures or kills four or more people, not including the shooter.

Large crowds were gathered at the university on Saturday night to celebrate Tuskegee’s 100th homecoming week. Social media video shows people ducking for cover at a parking lot as gunshots rang out.

The Alabama Bureau of Investigations is investigating, and the university will also conduct a full review.

Brown previously addressed the incident at the university’s Homecoming Convocation on Sunday morning.

“I now ask that you would join me in a brief moment of silence as we reflect on the lost soul and the parents, family members and friends that grieve, the concerns of all those parents who have children here, for the safety of their students and our students and faculty who may also grieve at this moment,” Brown said.

The incident follows a series of shootings at homecoming events last month.

A shooting at Albany State University after a homecoming game on October 19 left one dead and injured multiple others. It happened the same day three people were killed and eight others were injured when shots were fired at another homecoming event outside Lexington, Mississippi.

It also follows an October 12 shooting near Tennessee State University in Nashville that left one man dead and injured another nine people after the school’s homecoming celebration.

This story has been updated with additional information.

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CNN’s Kia Fatahi contributed to this report.