(Washington) At least four people were injured, none in critical condition, in a shooting at Morgan State University in Baltimore on Tuesday, according to authorities, who urged students to take shelter on the historically black university campus.
The Baltimore Police Department initially said officers were on scene for an “active shooter situation.” “Police kept the campus on lockdown for hours and provided little information about their investigation. The address given for the shooting appears to correspond to a residential building that is on the same block as a city police station.
“We are asking everyone to take shelter and avoid the area,” police said on X. About three hours later, police said it was no longer a active shooting situation and said more details were expected at a press briefing.
Police spokeswoman Amanda Krotki said many of the victims suffered injuries that were not life-threatening. Police spokesman Vernon Davis told the Baltimore Banner that at least four people had been shot.
City Council member Ryan Dorsey told X that “it’s believed there were three shooters who fired into the crowd.” No arrests have been announced.
At the scene Tuesday evening, police officers were blocking the south entrance to the campus, near the residence halls, while a police helicopter circled overhead.
The shooting occurred in the middle of a week of activities leading up to the school’s homecoming game, which will take place Saturday. Mr. and Mrs. Morgan State’s coronation was scheduled for Tuesday evening at the Murphy Fine Arts Center, one of the places the school strongly advised people to avoid.
Glenmore Blackwood went to campus after hearing from his son that the shooting happened just as coronation festivities ended.
Glenmore Blackwood said her son took refuge in the arts center’s auditorium. He had sung during the ceremony and planned to hold a prayer service afterward.
” It’s my son. He’s going to make sure I know he’s OK,” Mr Blackwood said. ” It’s sad. They were doing something good – an event to promote positivity – and all this negativity is happening. »
Ish Sargent, 20, who lives nearby, said she and her friends went outside when they heard the helicopter. They did not hear any gunshots. Ms. Sargent said she doesn’t usually worry about gun violence in the area.
“But in a school, it’s crazy,” she said. “People shooting outside. »
The university, which has about 9,000 students, was founded in 1867 as the Centenary Biblical Institute, with the initial mission of training men for ministry, according to its website. It moved to its current location, northeast of Baltimore, in 1917 and was purchased by the State of Maryland in 1939 with the goal of providing more opportunities for black citizens.
“It’s just horrible for the campus and for Baltimore. This is obviously a very traumatic situation for everyone involved,” said City Council member Odette Ramos, whose district includes part of the Morgan State campus.