Tallahassee police have arrested a 15-year-old in the FAMU homecoming shooting that injured 12 people near Bragg Memorial Stadium Saturday night. Anthony Rivers III was taken into custody Sunday and faces 11 counts of attempted second-degree murder and one count of possession of a firearm by a delinquent.
The Tallahassee Police Department announced the arrest Monday morning. Investigators filed the charges after consulting with State Attorney Jack Campbell. The firearm charge applies in Florida when someone who was already found in juvenile court to have committed a serious offense is caught with a gun.
The shooting happened just before 8 p.m. near Perry and Manatee streets, in the area behind the stadium where FAMU had hosted its homecoming game against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. The Rattlers lost 31-28. Police say a fight broke out between people who knew each other, and then shots were fired into a crowded area. Investigators say none of the people who were hit appear to have been the intended targets. Tallahassee Police Chief Lawrence Revell described the FAMU homecoming shooting as an isolated incident between two or three people.
Eleven of the 12 victims were struck by gunfire. The twelfth, a grandmother of one of the victims, was hurt while running from the scene. Six of the victims are children, and the youngest is 11 years old. At least one victim is a FAMU student. As of Sunday, five people had been treated and released from the hospital, and one victim remains in serious condition.
“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. “While this arrest marks a significant step forward, our work is far from over.”
Revell said additional charges and more arrests could follow as the investigation continues. Police are asking anyone with information about the FAMU homecoming shooting to contact the Tallahassee Police Department.
Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey called the shooting “a truly horrific and heartbreaking tragedy” and said the FAMU family would not be alone in the days ahead. The university is offering free counseling to students as classes resume this week.
