TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Eleven people were shot and a twelfth was injured fleeing after gunfire broke out Saturday night beside Florida A&M University's Bragg Memorial Stadium, hours after the Rattlers' homecoming game and in the middle of the school's homecoming weekend, Tallahassee police said.
The shooting happened just before 8 p.m. ET at the intersection of Perry and Manatee streets, next to the stadium; the Tallahassee Police Department took the call at 8:02 p.m. Six of the wounded are juveniles, and the youngest victim is 11 years old, Police Chief Lawrence Revell told reporters at a news conference after midnight. One of the victims is a Florida A&M student. A twelfth person — the grandmother of one of the gunshot victims — was injured while running from the scene, Revell said. No one was killed.
In a statement Sunday morning, the police department said five victims have been released from the hospital, while six remain hospitalized — and of those still being treated, one remains in critical condition, CNN reported. At the overnight briefing, police had said three victims were seriously injured, one of them in critical condition, and eight were stable.
"I stand before you tonight devastated," Revell said. "We hurt with you, and we will continue to get you the answers you so desperately want."
Police said their preliminary information shows a physical altercation between two or three individuals came before the gunfire, and Revell called it an isolated incident. He said investigators believe one shooter was involved. As of Sunday morning, no arrests have been made and police had named no person of interest. Police have not connected the shooting to the game, and they have not identified a motive.
About two dozen officers were already in the area when the shots were fired, Revell said, and some officers carried victims in their arms to reach transport because crowds blocked the way. The department's Violent Crimes Unit is leading the investigation, and detectives and forensic personnel worked the scene through the night. "We're still working the scene," Revell said. "As our detectives work to determine exactly what happened and identify those responsible, we remain committed to getting answers for these families."
The game had ended hours earlier: Arkansas–Pine Bluff beat Florida A&M 31–28 in the Rattlers' annual homecoming game at Bragg Memorial Stadium. The university sent a campus safety alert at 8:40 p.m. telling people to shelter in place and avoid the area near the stadium.
In a statement late Saturday, Florida A&M said it is "aware of an incident that occurred near campus on Perry Street on the evening of October 24." The university added: "Our hearts go out to the victims and all those affected by this tragic incident. While the campus remains safe, individuals are encouraged to avoid the area to allow law enforcement to conduct its investigation."
Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey called the shooting a "truly horrific and heartbreaking tragedy." Dailey wrote on X: "Tonight and in the days ahead, the FAMU family is not alone. Our entire community stands with you." Florida State University, about a mile away, issued an emergency alert; it did not appear anyone from its school community was involved, the Associated Press reported.
What is not yet known: who fired the shots, why the altercation started, and the names of the victims, which police have not released. Police are asking anyone who saw anything to come forward: TPD at 850-891-4200 or Crime Solvers at 850-574-TIPS.
Updated Sunday morning, Oct. 25, with the Tallahassee Police Department's hospital update: five victims released, six still hospitalized, one in critical condition. No arrests had been announced as of the update.
By the Numbers
- 11 — people shot
- 12 — people injured in all, including a victim's grandmother hurt while fleeing
- 6 — juveniles among the wounded
- 11 — age of the youngest victim
- 0 — fatalities
- 5 — victims released from the hospital as of Sunday morning (TPD)
- 6 — victims still hospitalized as of Sunday morning, one of them in critical condition (TPD)
- 1 — FAMU student among the victims
- 31–28 — Arkansas–Pine Bluff over Florida A&M in the homecoming game, hours before the shooting
Sources · 4 sources
- Associated Press (apnews.com) — wire account of the shooting and the early police briefing, carried internationally
- CNN (cnn.com) — Sunday coverage carrying the Tallahassee Police Department's Sunday-morning hospital update and the university and mayor statements
- USA Today (usatoday.com) — 12 injured in mass shooting after Florida A&M homecoming game, Oct. 25
- Tallahassee Democrat (tallahassee.com) — overnight briefing detail from Chief Lawrence Revell's news conference
