Tuesday’s shooting marks three consecutive years that Morgan State University has been rocked by gun violence.
Tierra Stone, Staff Writer | The Spokesman
Published: October 7, 2023
Photo Credit: Jordan D. Brown
Morgan State University’s homecoming week is a mixture of events that many students, alumni, and locals have enjoyed for years; but on Tuesday evening a mass shooting occurred that rocked the university’s campus.
Although the shooting marks the third year in a row that gun violence has struck the campus, a couple of alumni shared their thoughts about the attack.
Denetria Simon, a Morgan alum, graduated with her master’s degree in social work in 2022. Both her cousin and best friend are currently enrolled at the university.
“When I woke up my family and I did a roll call to see how everyone was doing, and thankfully my cousins were safe and they weren’t there,” Simon said. “I then contacted my best friend and she told me that she was safe too because she had left the campus earlier before the shooting had started.”
Ann Johnson, a Morgan alum, graduated with her bachelor’s degree in history in 1974. She weighed in on how she felt about the shooting that happened at her alma mater.
“This touched my emotions and I think it’s beyond being hurt or heartbroken. I feel a little angry too because we don’t do this at our Black institutions of higher learning,” she said.
While gun violence has been on the rise in Baltimore City, many of these types of crimes have involved teens between the ages of 13 and 18 years old. However, the youth involved in Tuesday’s shooting were between the ages of 18 and 22 years old.
Lindsey Eldridge, director of public affairs and community outreach for the Baltimore Police Department, detailed how the amount of gun violence has increased among the youth of the inner city in recent years.
“In 2023 the arrest for juveniles 17 and under is up 19.6% However, the number of arrests for juveniles carrying or processing weapons is the same as last year [33 arrests]. Year-to-date, youth shootings have increased 43.7% since last year. The percentage of victims under 18 years of age has been increasing in recent years, and the largest increases were seen in robberies and non-fatal shootings,” she said.
According to the Gun Violence Archive, a mass shooting is an act of violence with a minimum of four people shot that are either injured or killed. This number doesn’t include the shooter. Tuesday’s shooting is being referred to as a mass shooting.
“The Federal Bureau of Investigations [FBI] defines an active shooter as one or more individuals actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a populated area. Implicit in this definition is the shooter’s use of a firearm,” Eldridge said.
The Maryland Senate passed a bill that prohibits anyone from carrying a firearm in certain locations, which went into effect Monday, Oct. 1. However, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott wrote a statement in March regarding the rise in youth violence in the city. The statement laid out how the Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners along with other partnerships had created violence intervention programs for Baltimore’s youth.
“Recently, I met with the Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners, City Schools, Baltimore City Health Department, MONSE, and other partners to reinvigorate our efforts to identify the youth most at risk of becoming victims or perpetrators of violence. In collaboration with the school board and city schools, we are implementing intensive case management to support not only the identified youth but also their families,” Scott wrote.
Eldridge agreed as she explained how the Baltimore Police department has worked endlessly to prevent illegal gun trafficking from happening within the city.
“The Baltimore Police Department [BPD] continues to work with all of our law enforcement partners in the fight against illegal guns and the trafficking of guns into our city. We often testify or fight for legislation to support gun bans and we support President Biden’s recent development of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention,” she said.
The amount of firearms that had been confiscated from teenagers had left many concerned locals to wonder why so many youths are using guns to settle their differences. Johnson didn’t hold back as she shared why so many young people have gravitated toward gun violence.
“It’s a lack of knowledge of conflict resolution. They don’t know how to resolve conflicts unless it is through violence, and that loops back to a demoralization because it’s not that they’re depressed, they’re just lost and the children feel like they’re being denied opportunities.” she said.
Nevertheless, this wasn’t the first time that a mass shooting had happened in the city. Last summer, there was a shooting at a block party in Brooklyn Homes in South Baltimore that killed two and injured 28 people. Eldridge shared recommendations on how people can keep themselves safe in the event of a mass shooting.
“Stay calm and leave the area if possible and if you can not leave the area, go to a location where you can close and lock a door or entryway. Call 911 and report as much accurate information that you personally have and do not report second hand information that may be incorrect,” she said.
Eldridge also suggested the R.U.N. procedure as an easier way for civilians to remember and follow during a shooting.
“There is also: Run. Hide. Fight. Once you are safe, call 911 and then find a safe place to hide and block a door, avoid windows and silence your devices. Lastly, you should fight as a last resort and if your life is in danger,” she said.
Nevertheless, the perpetrators had not been caught and the police are offering a $9,000 reward for anyone with information in regard to the suspects. A press conference was held at Morgan on Oct. 6 by Police Commissioner Richard Worley, Council President Nick Mosby, and Mayor Brandon Scott as they gave updates on the case.
Despite the fact that there were no casualties at Morgan’s Tuesday shooting, one must wonder how the incident will affect Morgan’s image.
“College is about finding who you are and to be able to experience the opportunities that Morgan has to offer, and [despite everything] it’s still a great school,” Simon said.
Johnson agreed as she talked about how the school will stand strong in the face of adversity despite what has happened.
“The strong will survive and continue to support Morgan. We can’t let these events turn us around,” she said.
Published By: The Spokesman