In the final hours of what was meant to be a week of celebration, a shooting shattered the Tuskegee University community, leaving one person dead and 16 others injured early Sunday during the school’s centennial homecoming weekend. As students, families, and alumni gathered for a service the following morning, grief counselors filled the university’s chapel, and community leaders shared words of solace amid the tragedy. The incident has cast a shadow over Tuskegee, a historically Black university with deep roots in Alabama and a legacy as a Registered National Landmark.
Local authorities quickly detained a suspect, 25-year-old Jaquez Myrick from Montgomery, found leaving the scene. Police reported that Myrick was in possession of a handgun modified with a machine gun conversion device, and he now faces a federal charge of illegal gun possession. However, officials have not connected Myrick directly to the gunfire that left a young man dead and 12 others with gunshot wounds. The FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives joined the investigation, requesting tips and video footage from witnesses to help piece together the sequence of events.
The shooting reportedly broke out at the West Commons student apartments just as an unrelated double shooting elsewhere in Tuskegee diverted local police. Crowds at the homecoming celebration further complicated the response, Tuskegee Police Chief Patrick Mardis said, describing the situation as chaotic. “You couldn’t get the emergency vehicles in there, there were so many people,” Mardis told local news outlet Al.com. Among the injured were a female student and a male student, the former suffering a gunshot wound to the stomach, and the latter, an injury to his arm.
Campus leaders and alumni offered words of unity and resilience at a convocation on Sunday morning. Amare’ Hardee, president of the Tuskegee Student Government Association, emphasized the profound impact of the incident on students, calling it “a senseless act of violence” that has shaken everyone in the university community. The Rev. James Quincy III of the Tuskegee National Alumni Association spoke of the fragile nature of life, urging those affected to “rely on faith” during this painful time. Norma Clayton, chairwoman of Tuskegee’s Board of Trustees, vowed that “tough people band together” and survive difficult moments like these.
Tuskegee University’s history and identity as an iconic institution for African American education and empowerment have now been marred by a tragic incident, just over a year after another shooting left four injured at a student housing complex. Miles College, which played against Tuskegee in Saturday’s homecoming football game, expressed sympathy for the Tuskegee community, noting, “We extend our deepest condolences… Miles College stands with you in this difficult time.”
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