Tallahassee shooting near FAMU proves urban management failed
By Daniel Okafor · Reporting from New York ·
A fight near Bragg Memorial Stadium left 11 people shot, proving that the failure to manage crowds turns a homecoming celebration into a collapse of order.
The failure to secure the perimeter of a homecoming celebration left 11 people shot in Tallahassee. This was not a random act of terror. It was a predictable collapse of order in a crowded space. On Saturday night, gunfire broke out near Florida A&M University’s Bragg Memorial Stadium.
CNN and WCTV said a 12th person was injured while running from the scene.
Six of the victims were juveniles. The youngest was 11 years old. A grandmother was also injured while she fled the scene.
The shooting occurred just before 8 p.m. on Perry Street and Manatee Street. The Tallahassee Police Department’s Violent Crimes Unit is now processing the scene.
One injured person is in critical condition. Three injured people sustained serious injuries. Eight injured people are in stable condition.
The police used forensic personnel to take in as much information as they could. Chief Lawrence Revell said he remains committed to getting answers for these families.
The violence followed a football game. The Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions defeated the Florida A&M Rattlers 31-28.
The crowd gathered on the streets to celebrate homecoming. This environment creates a specific kind of volatility.
Chief Lawrence Revell said the shooting likely stemmed from an altercation between two to three individuals. This is the same mechanism that drove the 2023 Kansas City Chiefs parade shooting. In both cases, a sporting event drew a dense crowd. A physical fight broke out. The fight escalated into a shooting with multiple victims.
The historical pattern predicts that when thousands gather for a sporting event in an urban corridor, a single dispute can trigger a mass casualty event. For this time to differ, the city would have needed a restricted perimeter.
A failure of urban management
Chief Revell believes the shooting was an isolated incident. An advocate for this view would argue that no police force can prevent a sudden fight between three people. This argument suggests the event was a fluke of human temper.
The facts defeat that claim. The violence reached beyond the FAMU campus. Florida State University sits about a mile away.
FSU told its students and staff to stay indoors. The university said there was no sign that its own community was involved.
When a local fight forces a neighboring university to shelter in place, the incident is not isolated. It is a failure of urban management.
Florida A&M said the university was aware of the incident on Perry Street. The university said its hearts go out to the victims.
The university said that the campus remains safe. It encouraged people to avoid the area to allow law enforcement to work.
What is the cost of the crowd?
The Tallahassee Police Department had the entire force on the clock for the weekend. Two dozen officers were in the area when the shooting happened.
Despite this presence, the police could not stop the fight from escalating.
The police are now appealing for information. They asked the public to contact the Tallahassee Police Department or Crime Solvers.
The presence of a child among the wounded proves the failure of the security plan. A homecoming game is a known event. The city knows the crowds that come to Perry Street. The police were present, but they were not positioned to prevent a street fight from becoming a shooting gallery.
The Tallahassee Police Department will likely make arrests within seventy-two hours through ballistic evidence and community tips. Florida A&M University will likely implement mandatory security checkpoints and restrict non-student access for future homecoming events. These are reactions to a failure. The fact that children were shot is the only verdict that matters.
Sources
- CNN: 11 people shot near Florida university stadium in Tallahassee
- WCTV: TPD: Police investigating shooting at Perry Street and Manatee Street
- WTXL ABC 27 Tallahassee News: BREAKING: TPD says 11 people were shot near FAMU, including 6 juveniles
- NBC News: 12 injured, including several minors, in shooting near Florida A&M University stadium
- The Guardian: Eleven sustain gunshot wounds in shooting near Florida university
- ABC News: At least 12 people injured in shooting near a football stadium in Florida