(USNewsBreak.com) – Mass shootings continue to be a real problem in the United States. In 202, there were more than 500 incidents and hundreds of deaths and injuries as of September. One of the most recent events, which occurred at Morgan State University, has led to the school taking extreme security measures.
Five Shot on Campus
On the evening of Tuesday, October 3, a shooter opened fire on the Morgan State University campus while the school was in the midst of its homecoming celebrations. As students left a coronation, gunfire broke out, and five people were shot, four of whom attended the university. They were all treated at the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries. In the aftermath, authorities determined that none of those who were shot were the intended target. Police determined that it was a skirmish between two smaller groups and one individual who was reportedly unarmed. As of October 10, authorities were still looking for the suspects and have offered a $9,000 reward for information leading to their arrests.
University to Build a Wall
As a response to the shooting, the university canceled all of its homecoming festivities. But that wasn’t enough. The school’s leaders have announced that they plan to safeguard the Baltimore campus by building a wall around the majority of it. Then, at the entrances and exits, they plan to station security personnel. Doing so would “eliminate unfettered access,” according to the university’s president, David Wilson. He plans to ask the Maryland state legislature for $22 million to implement security upgrades, which would include the wall, additional personnel, and cameras. The university is also looking into adding metal detectors.
Wilson made it clear that the plan was to prevent bad actors from coming on campus, not the community. Notably, the plan comes just months after the historically black school tore down another wall that separated the school from the rest of the community. The 1940s-era wall was viewed by many as a symbol of racism.
The decision to erect a barrier around most of the campus, which Wilson says will cost $6.4 million, has drawn mixed reactions from alumni, staff, and community members alike. Some questioned whether it would be effective because someone has to watch the wall in order to keep people from breaching it. Others say it’s a good idea because it implements additional security.
Approximately 9,000 students currently attend the school, which was founded in 1867 and later purchased by the state in 1917. It has been the location of other violence as well, with shootings taking place in 2022 and 2021.
While the homecoming festivities were canceled, Wilson has promised to reschedule them.
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