BALTIMORE — Police in Baltimore said at least five people were shot on the campus of Morgan State University on Tuesday night.
No suspect in custody yet
5:15 a.m. EDT Oct. 4: As of early Wednesday, police have not located a suspect in the Tuesday shooting of five people on the Morgan State University campus, law enforcement authorities said in an early-morning press conference.
Four of the victims are Morgan State University students, according to the school’s police chief, Lance Hatcher.
The victims, four men and one woman ranging in age from 18 to 22, were taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley said in a media briefing. Police have not yet released information about the fifth victim.
“We did not locate the suspect at this time,” Worley said at the briefing. No suspect description was provided by police as of early Wednesday morning and it’s unclear how many shooters were involved in the incident.
“We didn’t open the campus up until our SWAT team had cleared the building where we thought the suspect may have ran or where we thought the shot came from,” Worley said. “They cleared every single floor twice.”
— Debbie Lord, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
Original story: Police and medical personnel responded to the 1700 block of Argonne Drive in Baltimore sometime after 9 p.m. EDT, WBFF-TV reported. The address is of a student dormitory at the university and was adjacent to the Northeastern District police station, according to the Baltimore Banner.
Vernon Davis, a spokesperson for the Baltimore Police Department, told media outlets that at least four people were shot, and the shooter was still on campus. Police told WBAL-TV that the victims were students and had injuries that were not considered to be life-threatening.
I am on scene at Morgan State, with university leadership, BPD, and our federal and state law enforcement partners. This is no longer considered an active shooter situation, but is an ongoing investigation. Media briefing to come soon. https://t.co/PQJtViWtLv
— Brandon M. Scott (@MayorBMScott) October 4, 2023
In a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, the Baltimore Police Department confirmed that as of 11:45 p.m. EDT, the incident was no longer considered an active shooter situation.
Tuesday’s shooting came after students celebrated the coronation of Mister and Miss Morgan State University, the Banner reported. It is homecoming week at the university, culminating in a celebration on Saturday.
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott and Police Commissioner Richard Wormley were expected to give more information at an overnight news conference.
Cameron Potts, a 2020 graduate of Morgan State who was at the Murphy Fine Arts Center for the coronation, told WBAL that “it sounded and felt like an earthquake” when students fled the building after shots were fired.
BPD Officials are now confirming that this incident is no longer considered an Active Shooter Situation. Everyone is still asked to shelter in place. A media briefing will occur soon. https://t.co/C5gNIbpoLR
— Baltimore Police (@BaltimorePolice) October 4, 2023
A spokesperson with Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center said medical personnel at the facility were treating one patient from the attack, NBC News reported.
Police said the suspected shooter fled into a dormitory. Officials said they were working to clear the dorm so they could attempt to apprehend the suspect, according to the television station.
Special agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were also at the scene, according to The Baltimore Sun.
Please Note: An active investigation is currently underway related to a report of shots being fired on or near campus. Please stay clear of the area surrounding Thurgood Marshall Hall and the Murphy Fine Arts Center and shelter in place. pic.twitter.com/MI37wuaLVV
— Morgan State University (@MorganStateU) October 4, 2023
There was no indication of the extent of the victims’ wounds, or whether there were any fatalities.
Officials at Morgan State have asked students to shelter in place, according to WMAR-TV.
School officials said people should avoid the area surrounding Thurgood Marshall Hall and the Murphy Fine Arts Center, WBAL reported.
ATTENTION Morgan Community: The Shelter-in-Place order on campus has been lifted. All shuttle services have resumed. As more details become available, we will update our campus community via official University communication channels. pic.twitter.com/waGjYF2LyP
— Morgan State University (@MorganStateU) October 4, 2023
Morgan State is a historically Black institution founded in 1867 as the Centenary Biblical Institute, according to The Associated Press. It moved to its current site in 1917 and was bought by the state of Maryland in 1939, according to the news organization.