A historically Black university’s homecoming event quickly turned tragic after five people were shot and injured in Baltimore.
The Baltimore Police Department is actively searching for at least one gunman after bullets began flying at Morgan State University on Tuesday evening, Oct. 3, 2023, according to Live Now From Fox.
Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley confirmed that there were a total of five victims, four males and one female, who were shot and suffered what he termed “non-life threatening” injuries. Worley added that state and federal agencies are assisting local authorities in searching for the shooter and also investigating what precipitated the violence.
Morgan State University police chief Lance Hatcher said his officers were on routine patrol on the campus when they heard the discharge from a firearm at about 9:25 p.m. Eastern Time, according to WJZ news station. Students were just heading to the annual crowning of “Mister and Miss Morgan State” at the Murphy Fine Arts Center.
Four of the five victims are students at the HBCU, Hatcher added. Students were ordered on lockdown for several hours on Tuesday night as the local SWAT Team conducted a room-by-room and building-by-building search for the gunman. No arrests were made.
The mandatory lockdown finally ended just after midnight on Wednesday, Oct. 4. Students who were forced to bunker down at the arts center were reportedly seen trickling out of the building still dressed in their suits and dresses.
Morgan State University President David Wilson canceled all classes for Wednesday. He indicated that he will hold an emergency meeting to determine if Morgan State will hold any of the other events scheduled in advance of the homecoming football game on Saturday.
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott told the media at the press conference that this horrific episode counters the declines in the city’s homicide rate, but stated the need to address gun violence.
“We have to deal with this issue nationally,” he said, according to WJZ. “We have to get serious about guns.”
Listen to the entire press conference held by multiple police jurisdictions on early Wednesday morning.
