5 people were wounded in a shooting after a homecoming event at Morgan State University in Baltimore

Five individuals sustained injuries during a shooting that disrupted the homecoming festivities at Morgan State University in Baltimore on Tuesday, resulting in a multi-hour lockdown at the historic African American institution. Classes were subsequently suspended for the following day, Wednesday.

Students were confined to their locations for approximately four hours while law enforcement officials conducted a meticulous search of each room for potential suspects. Police Commissioner Richard Worley informed the media during an early Wednesday press conference that the victims, comprising four men and one woman, were aged between 18 and 22 and that their injuries were not life-threatening.

Morgan State Police Chief Lance Hatcher revealed that four out of the five victims are currently enrolled at the university. As of the latest update, no individuals have been taken into custody in connection to the shooting, and details regarding potential suspects remain undisclosed. Commissioner Worley added that it remains uncertain how many shooters were involved in the incident.

The violent event transpired shortly after the crowning ceremony of Mister & Miss Morgan State at the Murphy Fine Arts Center, where students were proceeding towards a campus ball. Sophomore Konnor Crowder recounted seeing people fleeing across the campus as he awaited the commencement of the ball.

Authorities initially suspected an active shooter scenario, as gunshots were heard and several dormitory windows were shattered. The lockdown was lifted around 12:30 a.m. after SWAT officers concluded a thorough search of a building where a suspect might have taken refuge.

In the aftermath, students clad in formal attire began to exit the arts center, where they had been taking shelter, attempting to come to terms with the harrowing experience that overshadowed the evening’s celebratory events.

Crime scene investigators placed orange markers at locations of interest near a building adjacent to the dorm where the shooting took place. Yellow tape was used to cordon off the area as officers conducted their search under the illumination of flashlights.

Concerned parents assembled at a designated media area outside a police barrier at the university’s southern entrance. Among them was James Willoughby, an alumnus of Morgan State, who insisted on remaining until he could verify the well-being of his freshman daughter.

Glenmore Blackwood arrived on campus upon hearing from his son, a senior, who conveyed that the shooting took place just as the crowning ceremony was concluding. His son had performed at the ceremony and had plans to lead a prayer service afterward.

Morgan State University President David Wilson announced the cancellation of Wednesday’s classes and said that an emergency meeting would be held on Wednesday morning to evaluate whether to proceed with other planned activities leading up to the institution’s homecoming game, set for Saturday.

Mayor of Baltimore Brandon Scott remarked on the recent decreases in the city’s homicide rate but emphasized that the incident underscores the urgent need for nationwide gun control measures.

The report includes contributions from Lavoie in Richmond, Virginia, and Christopher Weber from Big Big News in Los Angeles.

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More about Morgan State University shooting

• Morgan State University Official Statement
• Baltimore Police Department Press Release
• Local News Coverage on the Shooting
• National Statistics on Campus Shootings
• Mayor Brandon Scott’s Comments on Gun Control
• History of Morgan State University