WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
- Police detained 15 year old Anthony Rivers III after a Florida A&M University homecoming shooting wounded 11 people, including six children.
- Authorities said Rivers had been involved in a physical altercation with someone he knew before the shooting.
- Police said none of the wounded victims appeared to have been the intended targets.
- Rivers faces 11 attempted second degree murder counts and a charge of possessing a firearm as a delinquent.
A shooting at a Florida A&M University homecoming celebration wounded 11 people Saturday night, including six children. Police said the person arrested in the case is 15-year-old Anthony Rivers III, as reported by The New York Post.
Rivers was detained Sunday following the bloody scene the previous night, according to a statement from the Tallahassee Police Department. His arrest put a name and a long list of charges on a case involving victims who police say were not deliberately targeted.
The shooting shattered what was supposed to be a weekend of celebration for the university community. Instead, 11 people were injured in violence that erupted during the homecoming gathering.
Authorities said Rivers was involved in “a physical altercation” before the shooting. Police said the dispute involved someone Rivers knew, though the department’s update did not identify that person.
The Tallahassee Police Department emphasized that the wounded people did not appear to be the people at whom the violence was directed. That detail cast an especially grim shadow over a shooting that injured six children.
“None of the victims appear to have been the intended targets,” the department said in the update. Police did not provide additional information in the source about the individual involved in the altercation with Rivers.
Rivers now faces 11 counts of attempted second-degree murder, one for each person wounded in the shooting. Police also charged him with possession of a firearm by a delinquent.
The attempted murder charges reflect the full number of people injured Saturday night. The victims included six children, meaning more than half of those wounded were minors.
Police announced the detention one day after the shooting. While the arrest represented a major development, Tallahassee Police Chief Lawrence Revell made clear that investigators did not consider their work finished.
“What should have been a weekend of celebration in our community instead became a night of fear and violence for the victims and their families,” Revell said in a statement.
The chief’s remarks focused on the sharp turn from celebration to chaos for those attending the homecoming gathering. His statement also pointed to the impact on the victims and their families after the Saturday night violence.
Revell said the arrest was an important step in the investigation, but he stressed that police were still pursuing accountability and answers. The department’s work, he said, remained active despite Rivers being taken into custody.
“While this arrest marks a significant step forward, our work is far from over. We remain committed to holding those responsible accountable and getting answers for every family impacted by this tragedy,” he added.
The police account links Rivers to an altercation with someone he knew before the shooting. At the same time, the department said none of the 11 wounded victims appeared to have been the intended targets.
That combination leaves the central facts stark. A confrontation preceded the gunfire, 11 people were wounded, six of them were children, and police detained a 15-year-old the following day.
The case now includes 11 attempted second-degree murder counts and the firearm possession charge against Rivers. Police have said their effort to determine responsibility and provide answers to the affected families is continuing.
The shooting remains a developing story, with the Tallahassee Police Department describing the arrest as progress rather than the end of its work. For the victims and their families, a homecoming weekend became what Revell called a night of fear and violence.
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Can we repeat the same message 3 or 4 more times please. The event has not sunk in yet!!!!!!