Teen charged after shooting near Florida A&M homecoming

A 15-year-old boy faces 11 counts of attempted second-degree murder after a shooting near Florida A&M University’s homecoming celebrations left 12 people injured Saturday night, Tallahassee police said. Investigators said the people who were hurt do not appear to have been the intended targets.

Police identified the teenager as Anthony Rivers III and said detectives arrested him Sunday. He also faces a charge of possession of a firearm by a delinquent. The investigation is continuing, and additional arrests are possible, police said.

The shooting broke out around 8 p.m. near Perry and Manatee streets, close to Bragg Memorial Stadium. The university was holding homecoming events that included a football game. According to The Guardian, the game had just ended when shots were fired.

Six adults and six minors were injured, The Guardian reported. Eleven sustained gunshot wounds, while one person hurt an ankle fleeing the gunfire. The Guardian also reported that police had described three victims as seriously wounded, including one who was in critical condition at a hospital.

Preliminary findings indicate that a physical altercation preceded the shooting and that the dispute involved people who knew one another, police said. The Guardian reported that police believe Rivers opened fire after an altercation between two groups. Investigators have not said why bystanders were struck, but said none of the victims appeared to have been an intended target.

“What should have been a weekend of celebration in our community instead became a night of fear and violence for the victims and their families,” Police Chief Lawrence Revell said in a statement Monday.

“While this arrest marks a significant step forward, our work is far from over. We remain committed to holding those responsible accountable and getting answers for every family impacted by this tragedy,” he said.

Officers reached the scene quickly and carried some injured people to safety through a crowd, Revell said, according to The Guardian. The chief thanked community members who shared cellphone video of the shooting and its aftermath, calling it “vital to investigative efforts.”

After the gunfire, Florida A&M urged its campus community to avoid the area. The university said the shooting occurred “near campus” and that the campus remained safe. “Our hearts are with the victims and everyone affected by tonight’s incident on Perry Street,” it said.

In a video message Sunday, university President Marva Johnson condemned what she called “senseless and despicable” violence and said the school was assisting police. “Our pride, our identity, and our future will not be defined by the challenges we face, but how we respond to them together,” she said.

The shooting was one of five nationwide over the weekend in which at least four people were wounded or killed, according to the Gun Violence Archive, as reported by The Guardian. The archive had recorded 386 such shootings in the United States for the year so far.