One person has been arrested after Alabama A&M University was placed on lockdown Tuesday due to a shooting that occurred outside one of the school’s residence halls.
The school posted a warning about the incident on its social media pages.
CAMPUS ALERT: The University is aware of a developing public safety emergency near the Knight Center. Out of extreme precaution, all individuals are asked to remain clear of the Knight Complex until further notice.
— Alabama A&M University (@aamuedu) August 22, 2023
The shooting allegedly began as a fight between two students outside of the Knight Center and resulted in three people being injured.
Willie Brandon Nance, 23, one of the shooters, was booked into Madison County Jail on assault charges early today.
One of the others involved in the shooting remains hospitalized and will be booked into Madison County Jail when he is discharged from the hospital. Upon being booked, his identity will then be released.
Alabama A&M President Dr. Daniel Wims wrote a letter to the Alabama A&M community today addressing the shooting.
“The safety and well-being of our students and campus community will always be our top priority,” Wims said in the letter. “We deeply regret the distress caused by the unfortunate incident on our campus yesterday and want to assure you that we are taking every measure to maintain the ongoing safety and security of our campus.”
Wims said that he appreciated the response to the incident from both school staff and students alike.
“I want to thank our campus police and University staff who worked quickly to move students to safety and provide updates in real time,” he wrote. “I’m also proud of our students who displayed an incredible amount of patience and vigilance during an evolving emergency situation.”
According to Wims, having a safe campus will always be a top priority for Alabama A&M.
“I understand the concerns this incident has raised,” he wrote. “Please know that we remain committed to providing a safe and secure environment for our campus community. We will continue to cooperate with law enforcement agencies and take necessary actions to prevent such incidents in the future.”
Alabama A&M is the largest Historically Black College and University in the state of Alabama with a student population of around 6,100 students.
Austen Shipley is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News.
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