A homecoming celebration in Florida turned to panic on Saturday evening when gunfire broke out near a university football stadium in Tallahassee, leaving 12 people injured, including six children. Police say no arrests have been made yet, and investigators are still piecing together how a crowded evening ended in violence.
The shooting happened just before 8 pm local time on Saturday, October 24, near Perry Street, close to Bragg Memorial Stadium, the home ground of Florida A&M University (FAMU). The area was busy with students, alumni, families and visitors in town for the university’s homecoming weekend, and the gunfire came after a football game had drawn large crowds to the stadium area.
Florida A&M University said on social media that the shooting happened near its campus and that the campus itself remained safe. The university urged people to avoid the area while police worked at the scene, and said the safety of students, faculty and staff remained its highest priority.
What happened near the stadium
According to the Tallahassee Police Department, a fight broke out before the shooting. Police said their preliminary investigation points to a physical altercation that preceded the gunfire, in a crowded area following the game.
Police Chief Lawrence Revell later described the incident as an altercation between a small number of people. Speaking to reporters, he said investigators believed it was an isolated incident between two or three individuals, and stressed that the priority now was to establish exactly what happened and why.
Eleven of the 12 people injured sustained gunshot wounds. At least three victims suffered serious injuries, police said, and one of those in serious condition is a child. The other victims were reported to be in stable condition. Police counted six adults and six juveniles among the injured.
Chief Revell said the fact that children were hurt made the incident especially painful. “It is especially heartbreaking to know that children are among those injured,” he said, in remarks reported by police and carried by multiple news outlets.
A homecoming weekend interrupted
Homecoming is one of the biggest weekends of the year for Florida A&M University, a historically Black university in Tallahassee. Alumni return to campus, families travel in for the game, and the surrounding streets fill with reunions and evening gatherings.
The violence did not happen inside the stadium, and the university was quick to clarify that the campus remained safe. But it happened close enough, and at a busy enough hour, for the shock to ripple through the celebrations.
Police have not said whether the shooting was directly connected to the game, only that the gunfire followed the match in a crowded area. Investigators are now working to separate what was a dispute between a few individuals from the wider crowd caught around it.
What police have said so far
- When: Just before 8 pm local time on Saturday, October 24, near Perry Street behind Bragg Memorial Stadium in Tallahassee.
- Who was hurt: 12 people, including six children. Eleven suffered gunshot wounds, and at least three injuries were described as serious.
- What came first: Police say a physical altercation broke out before the shooting, which they believe involved a small number of individuals.
- Arrests: None had been made as of the latest police updates on Sunday. The investigation is being handled by the department’s violent crimes unit.
- Campus status: Florida A&M University said its campus was safe and asked people to avoid the area around the scene.
Police have appealed to anyone who was in the area, or who saw or recorded anything, to come forward. Officers are collecting witness accounts and video as they try to identify those responsible.
What happens next
The investigation is now the central question. With no arrests so far, police will be under pressure to show how a dispute in a crowded street escalated to gunfire, and whether anyone else was involved beyond the small group identified in the early account.
For the university, the days ahead will also be about reassurance. Homecoming brings alumni and families back year after year, and the sight of police tape near the stadium on a celebration weekend is not an image any campus wants to leave behind.
For now, the facts that matter most are stark and simple. Twelve people were hurt, half of them children, on a night that should have ended with a game and a reunion. The investigation continues, and the community waits for answers.
FAQs
Where did the Florida shooting happen?
Near Perry Street, behind Bragg Memorial Stadium in Tallahassee, close to the Florida A&M University campus, on Saturday evening, October 24.
How many people were injured?
At least 12 people were injured, including six children. Eleven of them suffered gunshot wounds, and at least three were seriously hurt.
Was anyone arrested?
No. As of the latest police updates on Sunday, no arrests had been made, and police were appealing for witnesses to come forward.
What caused the shooting?
Police say a physical altercation broke out before the gunfire. Chief Lawrence Revell described it as an isolated incident between two or three individuals, but the full circumstances are still under investigation.
Was the university campus affected?
Florida A&M University said the shooting happened near its campus and that the campus remained safe, while urging people to avoid the scene area.
This is a developing story. Police updates may change the details as the investigation continues.
