Boy, 15, charged with attempted murder after mass shooting near FAMU campus in Tallahassee
A 15-year-old has been charged with 11 counts of attempted murder after a shooting injured 12 people at a college homecoming party near Florida A&M University.
Teenager arrested after homecoming shooting leaves 12 injured in Tallahassee
A 15-year-old boy was placed in secure detention in Florida on Monday, charged with 11 counts of attempted second-degree murder following a mass shooting at a college homecoming party the previous Saturday, theguardian.com reports.
Twelve people were injured — six adults and six minors — in gunfire near the Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) campus in Tallahassee. All but one sustained gunshot wounds; a twelfth person injured an ankle while fleeing the scene.
The Tallahassee Police Department identified the suspect on Monday as Anthony Rivers III, 15. Police do not typically name minor suspects, but the severity of the charges — 11 counts of attempted second-degree murder and one count of possession of a firearm by a delinquent — made Rivers an exception. He had been arrested on Sunday.
Rivers appeared in juvenile court on Monday wearing a white T-shirt and grey shorts. He was not handcuffed and did not speak during the brief hearing. Leon County Circuit Court Judge Anthony Sheeran ordered him to remain in secure detention pending arraignment.
The shooting took place just before 8pm on Saturday at an intersection near the university's Bragg Stadium, where a homecoming football game had just ended. According to police, Rivers opened fire following an altercation between two groups of people who were known to each other. None of those struck was believed to have been an intended target.
Officers arrived quickly and carried some of the injured to safety through a crowd of people, according to Police Chief Lawrence Revell. The department earlier confirmed that three victims were seriously wounded, with one in critical condition in hospital.
"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," Revell said in a statement. "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 affected by this tragedy."
Revell said the investigation was ongoing and that further arrests remained possible. He also thanked community members who had submitted cellphone footage of the shooting and its aftermath, describing the material as "vital to investigative efforts."
FAMU president Marva Johnson posted a video message on X on Sunday condemning the "senseless and despicable" violence. "As a neighbor and community partner, we are providing our full assistance to the Tallahassee Police Department," she said. "Our pride, our identity, and our future will not be defined by the challenges we face, but how we respond to them together."
The incident was one of five mass shootings recorded across the United States over that weekend — defined as events in which at least four victims are wounded or killed. The Gun Violence Archive, a nonpartisan organisation, has recorded 386 such cases in the US so far this year.
Source: Google News MT — Crime (en)