Twelve people — including six children, one just 11 years old — were shot or injured Saturday night near Florida A&M University's Bragg Memorial Stadium during homecoming weekend, and the shooter walked away clean.
The violence erupted around 8 PM on Perry Street, adjacent to the stadium, shortly after the FAMU Rattlers lost their homecoming game 31-28 to Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Police say a physical altercation broke out before gunfire rang out in a crowded area. Eleven victims sustained gunshot wounds; a twelfth person — the grandmother of one of the victims — was injured while running from the scene, according to Newsweek. At least three victims suffered serious injuries, and one was listed in critical condition.
Tallahassee Police Chief Lawrence Revell said: "It is especially heartbreaking to know that children are among those injured." He confirmed no arrests have been made.
FAMU issued a statement on X calling the shooting a "near campus" incident and insisted the campus was safe. Florida State University, roughly a mile away, sent an emergency alert advising its community to remain indoors.
The Security Failure
This is the pattern: a crowded public celebration, a soft target with no meaningful security perimeter, and a dispute that escalates into mass gunfire before any intervention is possible. Police are still "working the scene" and asking witnesses to come forward — meaning the shooter escaped and the people responsible for protecting these families were nowhere near the trigger pull.
NBC10 Boston and the Guardian both noted police said a "physical altercation occurred prior to the shooting" but offered nothing on suspects. The Guardian, citing the New York Post, reported the altercation was at a homecoming party involving two or three individuals before shots were fired. Breitbart, running the AP wire, gave the barest factual summary. Newsweek added that one victim is a FAMU student and that a grandmother was injured fleeing the chaos.
What none of these outlets asked: where was the security for an event drawing thousands to a known celebration? How does a shooter open fire at a university homecoming and simply vanish? And while Washington sends billions overseas, what is being spent to secure American gatherings on American soil?
Still Waiting
Revell said detectives and forensic personnel are processing the scene. "As our detectives work to determine exactly what happened and identify those responsible, we remain committed to getting answers for these families," he said.
Those families — including the parents of an 11-year-old — are still waiting.
