Two Shot At Bowie State University, Days After Morgan State Shooting
Following a mass shooting on the campus of Morgan State University, two people were shot Saturday night (Oct. 7) at Bowie State University, NBC News reports.
According to university spokesperson David Thompson, the shooting happened at 11:45 p.m. at Henry Circle, an area of green space on campus. Law enforcement from Prince George’s County and Bowie State police responded to reports that a shooting had occurred on the campus. Authorities said they don't believe there is a connection between the shooting of two shootings.
De'Vontae Berry, a sophomore at Bowie State, recalled the horrific event as he was on campus during the incident.
"I seen somebody on the ground. Then, I heard my phone going off crazy and a whole lot of gunshots going on," Berry said.
In anticipation of Bowie State's homecoming weekend, university officials said they would increase security following the Morgan State shooting. Bowie State also invited Morgan State students to celebrate homecoming with them after most of their events were canceled or postponed.
The identities of victims, both 19-year-old males, have not been released.
Col. Roland L. Butler Jr., superintendent of the Maryland state police, said that the two young men who were injured in the shooting sustained injuries that are believed not to be life-threatening. “We believe there are no further threats to the campus or the public at this point,” Butler said at a news conference on Sunday (October 8). “We also believe the shooting was an isolated incident.”
No description of a suspect is available, and Maryland state police are leading the investigation.
Maj. Kenny Brown of the state police said that law enforcement discovered a weapon at the scene, but no description of it was given,
“We do not know what led up to the actual shooting,” he said. “Preliminarily we believe that there was more than one shooter.”
In the aftermath of the shooting, the entire Bowie State campus was locked down and was ordered to shelter in place, from around midnight until about 3 a.m. Sunday, when authorities determined that the threat was gone.
On Monday, Bowie State President Aminta H. Breaux announced that classes would be canceled for the day. She also noted that Gov. Wes Moore (D) and other officials from across the state expressed their concerns.
“We’re going to take this one day at a time,” Breaux said. “We’re not used to this here at Bowie State University.”
The unfortunate incident cast a dark cloud over the university during homecoming which is always a memorable time for the school.
“For a week our campus was filled with nothing but happiness and joy,” Breaux said.
Officials have asked that anyone with information about the incident or the whereabouts of potential suspects to call 301-860-4688.
“We understand that some students also may have some social media video that is important,” Brown said.