A man was shot in the student center at Morgan State University in Baltimore yesterday afternoon, putting the campus on a brief lock down and leading the school to cancel all evening classes.
The gunman is still at large, according to police, who also say the victim was not a student.
Morgan State spokesman Clint Coleman told The Baltimore Sun that the shooting was “not random,” saying the victim and suspect likely knew each other.
With all the campus shootings shattering the country recently, this story proved extremely disconcerting—particularly since this was the first in recent times to occur at an HBCU. There was a student shot just days ago in Maryland at Perry Hall High School.
This was the message that was sent out through Morgan’s campus alert system soon after the shooting: “EMERGENCY!!! STAY INDOORS AND AWAY FROM WINDOWS! LOCK DOORS & ONLY OPEN THEM FOR POLICE OR EMERGENCY SERVICES!”
Police haven’t identified the victim, but said he was in stable condition at the hospital. He was not a student, according to university spokesman Clint Coleman, and officials do not believe the shooter was either.
Students told the Baltimore Sun that they were worried about how the incident would affect Morgan State’s reputation—but others said the campus is too easily accessible to outside troublemakers.
“I feel like it’s a bad look for our school’s reputation,” said Darius Brock, a freshman civil engineering major from Baltimore who was in his nearby dorm when he received an alert that the campus was on lockdown. “People drive past and all you see are cop lights and reporters, and you know something bad happened.”
“It’s nothing new. It’s not a cultural shock,” said Brandon Parker, a sophomore business major from Baltimore. “They make it seem like they’re working towards making our campus better, but nothing ever happens. … Less talk and more action is kind of what I’m speaking for.”
Coleman emphasized that the shooting was not a random act, and he said the university took the precaution of “combing every building on campus.”
“We believe this young man knew his assailant,” Coleman said. “A verbal exchange was heard just before the shooting. We believe this young man was targeted.”
