Gunfire erupted outside Florida A&M University’s Bragg Memorial Stadium on the night of Oct. 24, wounding 11 people, six of them children, in one of Tallahassee’s deadliest mass shootings in recent years, police said.
What officials say
The Tallahassee Police Department said the youngest of the injured was 11 years old and one of the wounded is a Florida A&M student. A twelfth person — the grandmother of one of the victims — was hurt while fleeing the scene, police said.
“It is especially heartbreaking to know that children are among those injured,” Tallahassee police chief Lawrence Revell said at a news conference shortly after midnight.
By the morning of Sunday five people had been released from the hospital and six remained hospitalized, one in critical condition, the department said. Officials had not identified the victims or released additional medical details.
Location and context
The shooting occurred just before 8 p.m. ET near Perry and Manatee streets behind Bragg Memorial Stadium, where, about two hours earlier, more than 20,000 fans had attended a homecoming game. Florida A&M, a historically Black university with nearly 10,000 students, had played Arkansas-Pine Bluff that evening; game reports show the Rattlers lost, 31-28.
Investigators told reporters they believe the shooting grew out of a physical fight involving two or three people, but authorities had not publicly identified any suspects or persons of interest as of early Oct. 25.
Eyewitness accounts and aftermath
Witnesses described chaotic scenes as shots rang out and people fled. A student who spoke to local television said he heard gunfire and was trampled in the rush to escape; he said when he got up someone was lying on the ground nearby. Local media reported the surrounding streets were crowded with students, alumni and families because of homecoming activities and other events in the college town.
- At least 11 people were wounded, six of them children; the youngest is 11.
- One additional person was injured while fleeing, bringing the total injured to 12.
- No arrests or suspects had been publicly identified as of early Oct. 25.
Police asked anyone with information about the shooting to contact investigators. The department did not release other operational details, including whether any weapons had been recovered or an estimated timeline for the investigation.
