WASHINGTON, DC: Authorities have identified two suspects in relation to the October 3 shooting at Morgan State University that left five people injured, among which four were students, Baltimore police said.
One of the suspects, aged 17, is now in custody. The name of the juvenile whose identity has been withheld was arrested on Thursday, October 12, in Washington, DC, and transported to Central Booking & Intake Facility.
Police have now launched a large scale manhunt for the other suspect, Jovan Williams, 18, after an attempted murder warrant was issued, according to Baltimore police.
Williams is considered to be armed and dangerous.
What did the authorities say?
"The Baltimore Police Department has been working tirelessly on the investigation into this incident and are grateful for the many partners that assisted us in identifying and capturing one of our suspects," Commissioner Richard Worley said in a statement according to Fox News. "We will not rest until Williams is in custody," the statement added.
When did the incident occur?
On October 3, gunshots erupted at around 9.25 pm near Morgan State University which activated an emergency shutdown for an active shooter situation.
Students were walking from an auditorium to the campus student center where a coronation ball was scheduled to start when the gunfire erupted.
According to police, the victims were not meant to be the primary targets and they were unfortunately caught in the crossfire between two shooters. They have since been released from the hospital.
"While this arrest cannot undo the damage and trauma caused that day, it is my hope that it can bring some peace and justice to the victims, the Morgan community and our city," Commissioner Worley said.
The two suspects were identified by surveillance cameras that were released to the media last week, Baltimore police said.
The university announced a $22 million plan within days of the shooting to build a wall around most of the northeast Baltimore campus and station security personnel at entrances and exits.
The wall would extend existing barriers by about 8,000 feet to encircle 90% of campus and effectively "eliminate unfettered access," university President David Wilson said.
Besides, other potential upgrades include installing more metal detectors in campus buildings, exploring weapons detection technology, increasing police patrols and building additional security guard booths.
Mayor Brandon Scott thanked law enforcement in a statement
"We will continue to provide every level of support we have to the Morgan campus," Scott said, adding "As we do every day, the city will continue doing our part to reduce and end gun violence by removing illegal guns and the people who use them off of our streets, while pursuing a comprehensive public-health-informed violence reduction strategy."
"However, it continues to be clear that tackling the epidemic of gun violence in our country is going to require significant national action to address the proliferation of guns in our community, particularly those in the hands of people who should not have access to them," Scott continued.
