TUSKEGEE, Ala. (AP) — Tuskegee University failed to offer sufficient security measures that may have stopped the deadly shooting, according to the parents of an 18-year-old who was murdered in a barrage of gunfire at Tuskegee University, who filed a wrongful death complaint against the university on Tuesday.
La Tavion Johnson, the 18-year-old son of Tamika and Larry Johnson, was shot and killed early on November 10 while attending a celebration outside a college dorm to mark the conclusion of the school’s 100th homecoming week. Students and guests fled as the gunshots erupted. There were at least sixteen injuries.
According to the county coroner, Johnson was on campus for the school’s yearly celebrations but was not a student. Johnson, who graduated from high school earlier this year, was shot after pushing someone else out of the line of fire, according to his family, who spoke to AL.com.
Ted Mann, the family’s lawyer, said in an email that the incident was regrettable and that it could have been prevented with proper campus security and policing.
Mann brought up another shooting that occurred in September 2023, when two guests were shot and two students were injured as they attempted to flee what campus authorities said was an illicit gathering, according to the Montgomery Advertiser.
The lawsuit claims that despite knowing about unidentified past physical threats and acts of physical violence, the institution did not take the necessary precautions to protect residents, alumni, guests, visitors, and students.
Jaquez Myrick, a 25-year-old man who was caught at the site with a Glock that had been converted to an automatic weapon, the school’s facility management business, and former university Police Chief Terrance Calloway are also named in the lawsuit. Myrick was charged with illegal possession of a machine gun.
According to the lawsuit, the defendants failed to check cars for firearms and permitted visitors, including Myrick, to enter the school without proper identification.
On Friday, Jeremiah Williams, 20, who was positioned by witnesses near the shooting site, was charged with unlawfully possessing a machine gun in federal court. Myrick and Williams have not been charged with Johnson’s murder or any other injuries. During the incident, both deny using their guns.
Emails requesting comment from the criminal attorneys for Williams and Myrick have not received a response.
According to a Tuskegee University representative, the university doesn’t answer inquiries regarding ongoing legal matters.
Dr. Mark Brown, the president of Tuskegee University, declared at a press conference the day after the shooting that Calloway would be replaced and that the university would no longer be accessible to the general public. According to Brown, all staff members and students must now have visible identification on campus.
He cited security checks at all official school activities and claimed that the school recruited more than 70 more cops during homecoming week. According to Brown, the checkpoints featured pat-downs and metal detectors.
According to Brown, the school did not approve of the gathering where the incident took place.
According to Brown, we neither could nor did we arrange for security at an event that was not previously authorized or sanctioned by the institution. However, since it took place on our campus, we accept full responsibility for permitting a comprehensive investigation and putting corrective measures in place.
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