Teen Accused Of Unleashing Hail Of Bullets Into Crowd Near College Homecoming Game

A 15-year-old faces 11 counts of attempted second-degree murder after a shooting near Florida A&M University that left 11 people with gunshot wounds and another injured during homecoming weekend.

Anthony Rivers III was arrested Sunday and also faces one count of possession of a firearm by a delinquent, the Tallahassee Police Department announced Monday. Investigators believe the shooting stemmed from a dispute between people who knew one another, but said none of the victims appear to have been the intended targets. 

The shooting occurred at approximately 8 p.m. Saturday near Perry and Manatee streets, just outside Bragg Memorial Stadium, following Florida A&M’s homecoming football game against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. The twelfth victim injured an ankle while fleeing. Six of the victims were minors, and at least three people suffered serious injuries, according to authorities.

Police have not said whether Rivers was the only person who fired a weapon or detailed the full extent of his alleged involvement. Authorities said additional arrests are possible.

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“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,” Tallahassee Police Chief Lawrence Revell said in a statement. “While this arrest marks a significant step forward, our work is far from over.”

Investigators credited tips and digital evidence submitted by members of the public with helping advance the case. Officers responding to the scene provided medical aid to victims before the area was fully secured, police said. 

Videos shared on social media showed people running from the area as gunfire rang out. Stephanie Walters, who operates the HBCU Culture Shop and has traveled from Tampa to sell merchandise during FAMU homecoming for nine years, told WCTV that she was uncertain whether she would return next year.

“You want to be able to be in community with your people, you want to be able to have the homecoming traditions, but you have to be safe,” Walters said. “I don’t want to have to be concerned that the next time I show up, I may not leave.”

Florida A&M President Marva Johnson expressed support for those injured and their families, calling the shooting senseless and condemning the violence. The university said the incident occurred near campus, rather than on campus itself, and that the campus remained safe. Johnson also said counseling would be available to students.

FAMU head football coach Quinn Gray also addressed the shooting, saying no argument or altercation was worth someone’s life. “Homecoming is about family,” Gray wrote. “No one should leave our celebration in an ambulance, and no child should ever be caught in gunfire.”

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