Montgomery man arrested in connection with Tuskegee University homecoming shooting

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Montgomery man arrested in connection with Tuskegee University homecoming shooting

Montgomery man arrested in connection with Tuskegee University homecoming shooting

(This story has been updated to add more information.)

One person was killed and 16 were injured in an overnight mass shooting on the Tuskegee University campus during the school’s 100th homecoming weekend.

Authorities said Montgomery resident Jaquez Myrick, 25, was seen leaving the scene of the shooting. Myrick was allegedly found in possession of a handgun with a machine gun conversion device and was arrested Sunday on a federal charge of possession of a machine gun, an Alabama Law Enforcement Agency spokesman said.

The shooting happened on campus early Sunday morning and claimed the life of an 18-year-old juvenile, law enforcement officials confirmed. In all, 16 people were injured including 12 by gunfire over the course of the shooting.

University spokeswoman Thonnia Lee said the slain teen was “a non-university individual.” “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,” Lee said.

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Tuskegee University in Tuskegee, Ala., on Friday October 2, 2020.

More: 13 injured in Montgomery mass shooting

Special agents with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency were notified about 1:40 a.m. that multiple people were shot on the Tuskegee campus, ALEA spokesman Sgt. Jeremy Burkett said. “There’s going to be two shooters at this time, maybe more,” one officer said in a radio call, according to transmissions provided by Broadcastify, as first reported by ABC News.

Macon County Coroner Hal Bentley told The Associated Press on Sunday that medical examiners will autopsy the male victim who was killed. Police Chief Patrick Mardis also told The Associated Press that a female student was shot in the stomach, and a male student was shot in the arm.

SBI continues to investigate. ALEA is asking anyone with knowledge of the case to submit tips by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI or uploading any digital files online at fbi.gov/tuskegeeshooting24.

The university canceled all classes for Monday, Nov. 11, and said that grief counselors would be available to students in the school’s chapel.

The shooting happened on campus near West Commons. Four were injured at an unrelated shooting at West Commons in September 2023.

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At least four were injured early Sunday, Sept, 24, 2023, during a shooting at an unauthorized party at Tuskegee University’s West Commons housing complex

“I join so many who are shaken by the shooting at Tuskegee University last night,” State Rep. Phillip Ensler, D-Montgomery, said in a statement.

Ensler proposed a state-level ban on machine gun conversion devices during the last legislative session. It passed in the House but was not read in the Senate before the session ended. He has since pre-filed the bill, HB26, for next year’s session.

“Law enforcement’s investigation revealed that the suspect used a pistol converted into a machine gun,” Ensler said Sunday. “While these are banned federally, we must also pass a state ban to send a strong message that these will not be tolerated in Alabama and allow our local district attorneys to also prosecute these cases. While these bans will not stop every use of conversion devices, they can help us deter some use of these highly lethal machines.”

More: Birmingham mass shooting suspect also faces charges in two other homicides

Congressman-elect Shomari Figures said that he and his wife, Kalisha, are praying for the victims of the tragedy.

“It’s incredibly sad that families had to wake up this morning with their lives shattered,” Figures said. “Gun violence is ripping apart too many communities and taking far too many lives, especially the lives of young Black people.

“This is a problem we must address together as a community. Everyone has a role to play: parents, government officials, law enforcement, coaches, schools, clergy, businesses, community leaders and organizations and residents.”

This is a developing story and will be updated.

Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Marty Roney at *****@*****.tld.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Montgomery man arrested after Tuskegee University homecoming shooting

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