15-Year-Old Charged As Adult In Florida A&M Shooting 

The 15-year-old who was arrested for a mass shooting last weekend outside Florida A&M that injured 11 people will be charged as an adult. 

CNN reports that State Attorney Jack Campbell told the outlet that Anthony Rivers III faces 11 counts of attempted second-degree murder and possession of a firearm by a delinquent in connection with a mass shooting. 

Tallahassee Police Chief Lawrence Revell has said that it appears that a physical altercation took place between “individuals known to one another” before the shooting took place. None of the 11 victims were the intended targets of the shooting. 

FAMU student Micayla Martin told news outlet WEAR she was near the fight when it took place. 

“So we weren’t standing right there when the gunshots went out, but we were right in the fight,” said Martin. “So it was like, had we not moved, we probably would have gotten bumped or something from the fight because it was a big group of them fighting.”

Martin said that she and her friends began to leave once the fighting began and moments later they heard gunshots. “If we hadn’t moved, if 11 people got shot, there’s a strong chance one of us would have been hit because we were that close,” Martin said. “We were literally maybe 20 feet away.”

Six children, including an 11-year-old, were injured in the shooting. The grandmother of one of the victims suffered an ankle injury while fleeing the shooting. Five of the victims have left the hospital, while six remain hospitalized, with one victim still in critical condition. 

The shooting took place outside the university’s football stadium, where hundreds of people were celebrating the homecoming weekend. Several vendors told WALB that the shooting has them reconsidering whether they want to come back for FAMU’s homecoming celebration next year. Stephanie Walters, who helps run HBCU Culture Shop, said that she has made the trip to FAMU for the last nine years during their homecoming celebration, but she’s unsure if she’ll return next year. 

“I’m not necessarily worried about if we’re able to come back; I’m more so worried about if we want to come back,” Walters told the outlet. “You want to be able to be in community with your people, you want to be able to have the homecoming traditions, but you have to be safe. I don’t want to have to be concerned that the next time I show up, I may not leave.”

Authorities are calling on the public to share any information they have about the shooting, as they believe there was more than one assailant. 

“We need our community’s help. No detail is too small, and no piece of information should go unreported,” police said in a statement Sunday. “If you know something, please share it with our detectives. Your information could be the key to holding those responsible accountable.”

Florida A&M President Marva Johnson echoed those calls and encouraged anyone with information to call the tip line.

“To our Rattler family and our surrounding Tallahassee community, I share your outrage and profound sadness at the senseless and despicable shooting that took place near our FAMU campus last night,” Johnson said in a statement Sunday evening. “As a neighbor and community partner, we are providing our full assistance to the Tallahassee Police Department.”

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15-Year-Old Arrested For Shooting Outside Florida A&M

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