Morgan State University’s homecoming took a violent turn Saturday (Oct. 23) after an 18-year-old student was injured in a shooting on campus.
The Baltimore-based HBCU tweeted a statement around 9 p.m. Saturday which reads: “At approximately 7 p.m. this evening, a shooting occurred at Morgan State University near the Montebello Complex on south campus. A Morgan student was reported injured with non-life-threatening injuries and taken to a local hospital for immediate treatment.”
“The area around Montebello Complex is secure and there is no active threat to the campus. We encourage the Campus Community to stay clear of the area at this time as police activity is ongoing,” school officials tweeted.
The university also mentioned that the Baltimore Police Department (BPD) was actively investigating the incident with assistance from Morgan State Police. And if students needed support and counseling, the University Counseling Center could be reached by calling 800-422-0009 or 443-885-3130.
According to a press release, local officers responding to reports of gunfire at approximately 6:40 p.m. arrived in the 2300 block of Argonne Ave. to find the student suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest. He was taken to a nearby hospitals and his condition was described as “conscious, alert and stable.”
“At this time the investigation is active and ongoing, and we do not have any updates outside of what was provided yesterday evening,” Linsey Eldridge, director of public affairs and community outreach at the Baltimore Police Department told the school’s newspaper The MSU Spokesman.
The university expressed that it hoped this year’s homecoming would be a “return to tradition” after closing the campus for nearly 18 months due to COVID-19. And although the Morgan State Bears football team lost to North Carolina Central University in the homecoming game, 28-17, the school opened the doors to the newly constructed $88-million Calvin and Tina Tyler Hall Student Services Building on Friday (Oct. 22.