MONTGOMERY, Ala. — A deadly shooting early Sunday morning left one person dead and several others injured on the campus of Tuskegee University, which was in the midst of celebrating its 100th Homecoming weekend.

Tuskegee University spokeswoman Kawana McGough confirmed the incident, stating that the individual who was killed was not a student or employee of the historically Black university. McGough added that several students were among the wounded and are being treated at East Alabama Medical Center in Opelika and Baptist South Hospital in Montgomery. Tuskegee is located approximately 40 miles east of Montgomery.

Local law enforcement and emergency responders, including campus security, quickly secured the area, and the Alabama Bureau of Investigations (ABI) has taken over the case, McGough said.

According to Patrick Mardis, the interim police chief for the Tuskegee campus, one female student was shot in the stomach, a male student was injured in the arm, and at least one other student was hurt in the attack. Mardis described the chaotic scene, saying, “Some idiots started shooting. There were so many people that emergency vehicles couldn’t get through.”

The shooting occurred near West Commons on the campus, an area that was also the site of a separate shooting in September 2023, in which four people were injured.

McGough also noted that the university is actively checking on the conditions of the students involved and is in the process of notifying their families.

Founded in 1881 by Dr. Booker T. Washington and former slave Lewis Adams, Tuskegee University has grown into a respected institution. Starting with just 30 students, it now has more than 3,000 students and is known for producing the most African American aerospace engineers of any university in the country.