MONTGOMERY, Ala. − A shooting incident early Sunday has resulted in one fatality and several injuries on the campus of Tuskegee University, which was in the midst of its 100th homecoming celebration.

Kawana McGough, a spokesperson for the university, verified the incident, stating that the individual who died was neither a student nor an employee of the historically Black institution. She added that several students were among the injured and were receiving treatment at East Alabama Medical Center in Opelika and Baptist South Hospital in Montgomery, which is located around 40 miles east of Montgomery.

Local law enforcement and campus emergency teams were on the scene, with the Alabama Bureau of Investigations taking charge of the inquiry, according to McGough.

Reports indicate that a female student sustained a gunshot wound to her stomach, a male student was hit in the arm, and at least one other student was injured. This information was shared by Patrick Mardis, the interim police chief for the Tuskegee campus police, during an interview with AL.com.

“Some reckless individuals opened fire,” Mardis commented. “The scene was so crowded that emergency vehicles had difficulty accessing it.”

The gunfire took place near West Commons on campus. There had previously been another unrelated shooting at the same location in September 2023, which left four others injured.

McGough noted that the university was reaching out to families of the injured students and monitoring their conditions.

Tuskegee University was established in 1881 by Dr. Booker T. Washington and enslaved Lewis Adams in a modest one-room building, according to the university’s official website. It was initially funded with support from the Alabama legislature and began with an enrollment of 30 students.

Today, the university has over 3,000 enrolled students and is recognized as the leading institution in graduating African-American aerospace science engineers in the United States, according to the school’s website.