ATLANTA – Last week’s shooting at Morehouse College did not garner the media attention of the Newtown, Conn., massacre or other gun-related violence – particularly in Chicago – that has been pervasive in the country over the last several weeks. But it was an event with lasting reverberations.
Clark Atlanta student Amir T. Obafemi, 21, reportedly fired four shots outside Morehouse’s Archer Hall, striking Morehouse student Cornelius Savage in the forearm. Savage was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital and is expected to make a full recovery.
Obafemi was eventually arrested and charged with aggravated assault, carrying a concealed weapon, possession of a weapon at school and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
The reason for such gunplay? A disagreement during a pick-up basketball in the Archer Hall gym.
Obafemi was denied bond in the case, forcing him to miss a court appearance for an unrelated drug charge in Douglas County. His next scheduled court appearance is Feb. 18. Obafemi is the son of Disturbing Tha Peace Records co-founder Chaka Zulu Obafemi, who also manages Ludacris. Lawyers for the Clark-Atlanta student claim that he acted in self-defense
Safety has become a more pressing concern as a result of the shooting, particularly in the shared space of the Atlanta University Center schools – Morehouse, Spelman, Morris Brown College and Clark Atlanta.
“Nothing surprises me here anymore,” Morehouse senior Ervin Mitchell said. “You’d think we’d have enough to worry about with trying to shoot at each other, especially over something as stupid as a basketball game.”
Students are often the target of robberies and crime in the area, so the escalation in violence was not shocking to some of them. Mitchell’s roommate was the victim of an armed robbery a week prior to the shooting. Two men – believed not to be students – gained access the dorm and robbed the young man at gunpoint.
Crime in the neighborhoods surrounding the schools has been a problem for years, and students quickly learn to avoid those areas. On-campus shootings are another story, but not unprecedented.
Three years ago Jasmine Lynn, a student at Spelman College, was shot and killed by a stray bullet on Clark Atlanta’s campus, while she was walking along a street that runs between the three schools. The shooter was a student at ITT Tech who allegedly was involved in an altercation with a group of Clark Atlanta students. Lynn was caught in the crossfire, along with a CAU student who was struck in the wrist.
“I think that some folks in the AUC don’t know how to resolve conflicts; it’s very evident,” said Michael Gary, Morehouse’s assistant director of student life. “We’re at an all-male institution. Arguments happen and fights may happen.”
But he added: “You’re in college. You don’t think you’re going to come to college and get shot. You don’t expect that.”
The shooting also led to the cancellation of a Morehouse-Clark Atlanta basketball game that was scheduled for the following day. In its place, students chose to hold a peace rally to support unity within the AUC and the surrounding community. Dr. William Bynum, Morehouse’s vice president for student services, said he cancelled the game because of a potential physical blowup or retaliation stemming from the shooting.
“I’m very proud of the men of Morehouse and the other students who participated,” Bynum said in an interview with AtlantaBlackStar.com. “I was glad to see Clark Atlanta, Spelman and all AUC students ensuring that we don’t let this one incident skew all the efforts that have gone into building unity here in the AUC.”
Morehouse and Clark-Atlanta officials have described the shooting as an isolated incident, and maintain that it is not indicative of the student body or campus safety.
In a statement released after the shooting, Morehouse confirmed that it will continue its efforts to boost campus security, with new officers already contracted and additional security cameras added.
Any possible backlash or unrest within the community seems to have subsided. Morehouse is welcoming parents for its annual Founder’s Day celebration this weekend.
