Multiple victims in mass shooting at Morgan State University in Baltimore

Police say at least four people were shot in an "active shooter situation" on campus; the area was under a shelter-in-place order for several hours

Yesterday at 10:29 PM

Updated at 11:05 p.m. on Oct. 3: 

By Lea Skene
Associated Press

BALTIMORE — At least four people were wounded, none critically, in a shooting at Morgan State University in Baltimore on Tuesday, according to authorities, who urged students to take shelter on the campus of the historically Black college.

A Baltimore City Fire Department truck stages at Morgan State University during a shooting on the campus Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2023, in Baltimore. (Jerry Jackson/The Baltimore Sun via AP)

The Baltimore Police Department initially said officers were on the scene for an "active shooter situation."  The address given for the shooting appeared to match a residential building that's on the same block as a city police station.

"We're asking everyone to shelter in place and avoid the area," police said on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. About three hours later police said it was no longer an active shooter situation and said more details were expected at a media briefing.

Police spokesperson Vernon Davis told the Baltimore Banner that at least four people were shot.
Police spokesperson Amanda Krotki also said there were multiple victims with non-life-threatening injuries.

City Council member Ryan Dorsey said on X that "it's believed there were three shooters firing into the crowd." No arrests were announced.

At the scene Tuesday night, officers were blocking off the south entrance to campus near dorm buildings while a police helicopter circled overhead.

The shooting happened amid a week of activities ahead of the school's homecoming game on Saturday.

The coronation of Mister & Miss Morgan State was scheduled for Tuesday night at the Murphy Fine Arts Center, one of the areas the school urged people to avoid.

Glenmore Blackwood came to the campus after hearing from his son, a senior who told him the shooting occurred just as festivities for the coronation were concluding.

Blackwood said his son was sheltering in place in the arts center's auditorium. He sang in the ceremony and was planning to host a prayer service afterward.

"That's my son. He's going to make sure I know he's OK," Blackwood said. "It's just sad. They were doing a good thing — an event to promote positivity — and all this negativity happens."

Ish Sargent, 20, who lives nearby, said she and her friends came outside when they heard the helicopter. They didn't hear gunshots. Sargent said she doesn't usually worry about gun violence in the area.

"At a school though, that's crazy," she said. "People just out here shooting."

The university with an enrollment of about 9,000 students was founded in 1867 as the Centenary Biblical Institute, with an initial mission of training men for ministry, according to its website. It moved to its current site in northeast Baltimore in 1917 and was purchased by the state of Maryland in 1939 as it aimed to provide more opportunities for Black citizens.

Original reporting:

By Lea Skene
Associated Press

BALTIMORE — Multiple people were shot at Morgan State University in Baltimore on Tuesday, police said.
The Baltimore Police Department said officers were on the scene for an "active shooter situation" on the campus of the historically Black university. The address given for the shooting appeared to match a residential building.

"We're asking everyone to shelter in place and avoid the area," police said on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

Police spokesperson Vernon Davis told the Baltimore Banner that at least four people were shot. Their conditions weren't immediately known.

Police spokesperson Amanda Krotki also said "multiple victims" were shot.

City Council member Odette Ramos said on X that students and staff were ordered to shelter in place.

At the scene Tuesday night, officers were blocking off the south entrance to campus near dorm buildings while a police helicopter circled overhead.

Ish Sargent, 20, who lives nearby, said she and her friends came outside when they heard the helicopter. They didn't hear gunshots. Sargent said she doesn't usually worry about gun violence in the area.

"At a school though, that's crazy," she said. "People just out here shooting."

The university reported an enrollment of more than 9,000 students as of late 2022 and said it is growing. The shooting happened amid a week of activities ahead of the school's homecoming game on Saturday. The coronation of Mister & Miss Morgan State was scheduled for Tuesday night at the Murphy Fine Arts Center, one of the areas the school urged people to avoid after the shooting.

Judge dismisses charges against Philly officer in fatal shooting during traffic stop

"When police officers ordered him to show his hands, he instead produced a weapon and pointed it at an armed police officer. In no world (are) those facts murder," a defense attorney said

Sep 26, 2023

By Maryclaire Dale
Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA — A judge has dismissed all charges, including a murder count, against a Philadelphia police officer who shot and killed a driver.

Philadelphia Municipal Judge Wendy Pew made her ruling Tuesday after watching video of the fatal shooting of 27-year-old Eddie Irizarry. The defense had asserted that Officer Mark Dial was acting in self-defense when he fired his weapon at close range through the rolled-up driver’s side window of Irizarry’s sedan during a vehicle stop on Aug. 14.

Defense lawyer Brian McMonagle had urged Pew to drop all charges, which included manslaughter, official oppression and four other counts.

Dial's bail had been revoked this month after prosecutors argued the charges made him ineligible for release.

Police bodycam footage shows Dial firing his weapon at close range through the rolled-up driver’s side window of Irizarry’s sedan during a vehicle stop. Dial shot Irizarry about seven seconds after getting out of a police SUV and walking over to his car, the video showed.  

Defense lawyers called the shooting justified. They said the officer, also 27, thought Irizarry had a gun. The bodycam footage shows the driver holding a knife by his right leg.

Dial's partner, Officer Michael Morris, testified Tuesday that the pair had been following Irizarry, who was driving erratically, turned the wrong way down a one-way street, and stopped. Morris said Irizarry had a knife in his hand and started to raise it as the officers approached.

“I screamed that he had a knife,” said Morris, adding the knife had a black metal handle that could have been mistaken for a gun.

District Attorney Larry Krasner has called bodycam videos from Morris and Dial “crucial evidence in the case,” saying they “speak for themselves.”

The defense blasted Krasner's decision to charge Dial with murder.

“When police officers ordered him to show his hands, he instead produced a weapon and pointed it at an armed police officer,” lawyer Brian McMonagle told reporters this month. “In no world (are) those facts murder.”

The police department had to backtrack from initial statements that said Dial shot the driver outside the vehicle after he “lunged at” police with a knife. Dial, a five-year member of the force, was suspended with the intent to dismiss after officials said he refused to cooperate with investigators.

PUBIC SAFETY OFFICER APPRECIATION WEEK  

The Executive Board of Directors of the Texas System Police Association paused to celebrate and appreciate UT System Police Public Safety Officers. The association held this event at Ojeda's Mexican Restaurant in Desoto, Texas, on Sept. 23, 2023. The association presented the following awards to the following members:   

The TSPA John Mulloy Leadership Award was awarded to campus police employees or officers in leadership positions who have demonstrated exemplary leadership and commitment to service through deeds, resulting in a measurable benefit to their peers, service, and community.   

• Public Safety Officer Supervisor Quentin Booker
• Public Safety Officer Supervisor Eboni Ross

The President of TSPA presents the TSPA Distinguish Shield Award to members of the association whose morals and ethical values have displayed positivism, compassion, trustworthiness, honesty, respect, and responsibility. This person has kept a positive attitude in the present and toward the future of any situation, assists peers and others to their abilities, and always does so with great attitude and selflessness.  

• Public Safety Officer Merbel Anaya
• Public Safety Officer Micheal McLemore
• Public Safety Officer Benedicto Carrion 
• Public Safety Officer Tiskal Cambell
• Public Safety Officer Jithesh Mukundan 
• Public Safety Officer LaWanna Briggs 
• Public Safety Officer Alejandra Zavaleta-Melara

The Meritorious Service Award recognizes association members for honorable service in campus law enforcement and is usually issued at retirement. 

• Public Safety Officer Merriell Williams 
• Public Safety Officer Tommy Wolfrum

Cert. of Commendation is an award issued to TSPA members whose actions deserve to be commended for an outstanding act while performing their duties. 

• Public Safety Officer LaWanna Briggs 
• Public Safety Officer Tiskal Cambell
• Public Safety Officer Merriell Williams 

New museum dedicated to telling story of nation's oldest law enforcement agency

Throughout the museum, guests will learn the full story of the Marshals, which dates back to the ratification of the U.S. Constitution

Today at 6:00 AM

By Sarah Roebuck
Police1

FORT SMITH, Ark. — A new interactive museum in Arkansas is dedicated to telling the story of the Marshals, the nation's oldest law enforcement agency, the Thinkwell Group announced. 

The U.S. Marshals Museum is an interactive experience located on the historic banks of the Arkansas River. The Thinkwell Group, a design and production agency, was responsible for the design, production and delivery of the experience.

Throughout the museum, guests will learn the full story of the Marshals, which dates back to the ratification of the U.S. Constitution. 

"The story of the U.S. Marshals is the story of America – of struggling to live up to the ‘glorious promise’ of the Constitution,” Cynthia Sharpe, Senior Principal at Thinkwell and Executive Creative Director on the project said. “We had to create a space in which guests could engage with some really challenging moments in the nation's history, but also balance it with the fun and larger-than-life stories of the U.S. Marshals Service."

Look at Video 

https://youtu.be/bak1lI6sZHY

Vt. officer, aged 19, killed after suspect crashed into police cruiser during pursuit

Rutland PD Officer Jessica Ebbighausen, a part-time officer, was scheduled to start training in August at the Vermont Police Academy to become a full-time officer

Duty Death: Jessica Ebbighausen - [Rutland, Vermont]

End of Service: 07/07/2023

Today at 11:26 AM

Associated Press

RUTLAND, Vt. — A Vermont police officer was killed and two other officers were injured when a burglary suspect crashed into two police cruisers pursuing him, Vermont State Police said.

Rutland City Police Officer Jessica Ebbighausen, 19, was killed on Friday afternoon. The crash happened as police chased a vehicle driven by Tate Rheaume, 20, a suspect in an attempted break-in at a house, state police said.

Evidence indicates that Rheaume crossed the centerline and collided head-on with Ebbighausen's cruiser, police said. The suspect's truck also hit another police cruiser.

Ebbighausen was pronounced dead at the scene. Two other officers and Rheaume were taken to Rutland Regional Medical Center for what are believed to be non-life-threatening injuries, police said. Rheaume was transferred to the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington.

State police said they are investigating the role impairment and speed played in the crash and are working with the Rutland County state's attorney on potential charges. It was not immediately known if Rheaume is being represented by an attorney.

Ebbighausen, of Ira, Vermont, started working with the Rutland Police Department in May as a part-time officer, state police said. She was scheduled to start training in August at the Vermont Police Academy to become a full-time officer, police said.

Ill. police department unveils Juneteenth-themed squad car

Aurora Police Chief Keith Cross said he hopes the vehicle will serve as a community engagement tool

Today at 6:00 AM

By Megan Jones
The Beacon-News, Aurora, Ill.

AURORA, Ill. —The Aurora Police Department, in conjunction with the city's African American Heritage Advisory Board, unveiled a special custom-wrapped squad car Wednesday in honor of Juneteenth.

Aurora Police Chief Keith Cross said he hopes the vehicle will serve as a community engagement tool.

"Not only will it spark interest and conversation between our officers and members of the community, but also highlight our efforts to embrace and highlight various cultures," Cross said.

Mayor Richard Irvin said Aurora Police Officer William Whitfield and other Black officers brought the idea for the car to the city as a way to educate and unite residents through conversations over the Juneteenth holiday.

"I did not hesitate to approve it," Irvin said. "This is not a solution to easily fix a generations-old problem, but it's a good step to keep us moving in the right direction."

Whitfield said he hopes the design helps break a barrier between the Black community and police officers.

The wrap was designed and paid for by the advisory board and will be on the car for the next two weeks, Cross said.

The car will be featured in a Juneteenth Car Parade hosted by the Community Advocacy Awareness Network with a lineup starting at 2:15 p.m. Saturday at the Phillips Park entrance on Smith Street in Aurora. The Kane County Sheriff's Office has provided traffic control for the event for the past three years.

The parade will begin at 3:15 p.m. and will travel from Smith Street to Fifth Avenue, then to Farnsworth Avenue and to Grand Boulevard before ending at Martin Luther King Park, 42 N. Farnsworth Ave., for the city's Juneteenth celebration. The celebration in the park will go until 7 p.m.

Aurora Chief Communications and Equity Officer Clayton Muhammad said the police car design is a wonderful movement in the right direction.

"It is a statement of what happened here in this nation and how to are attempting to right wrongs and rectify and balance and level the playing field," Muhammad said.

"We know challenges lie ahead of us as we continue," Whitfield said. "We are prepared to continue fighting to bring equality and diversity to our community."

The car will be featured in a Juneteenth Car Parade hosted by the Community Advocacy Awareness Network with a lineup starting at 2:15 p.m. Saturday at the Phillips Park entrance on Smith Street in Aurora. The Kane County Sheriff's Office has provided traffic control for the event for the past three years.

The parade will begin at 3:15 p.m. and will travel from Smith Street to Fifth Avenue, then to Farnsworth Avenue and to Grand Boulevard before ending at Martin Luther King Park, 42 N. Farnsworth Ave., for the city's Juneteenth celebration. The celebration in the park will go until 7 p.m.

Aurora Chief Communications and Equity Officer Clayton Muhammad said the police car design is a wonderful movement in the right direction.

"It is a statement of what happened here in this nation and how to are attempting to right wrongs and rectify and balance and level the playing field," Muhammad said.

"We know challenges lie ahead of us as we continue," Whitfield said. "We are prepared to continue fighting to bring equality and diversity to our community."

Registration - 2023 IACLEA Annual Conference & Exposition (cvent.com)

The Victory Over Violence event on April 15, 2023 includes a 5K walk/run as well as a 1K fun run through Trinity Park in Fort Worth. We are proud to be celebrating our 26th annual race!

This event exists to raise funds in support of The Women’s Center’s services that empower survivors of sexual assault, child sexual abuse, and other violent crimes. More than that, we hope to raise awareness about how these issues affect women, men, and children in our community.

This family-friendly event features a dedicated Kids’ Zone area and K-12 school teams. This race is a favorite among cause-focused organizations in Tarrant County, with many corporate teams and community partners participating year after year.

Adults: $20

Children: $15

Minimum number of team members REQUIRED for TSPA: 10

Register Here...

https://mytspa.org/event-4944138

BPOC #105 continues forward-Starting with 23 cadets the class is now at 21 with one cadet unable to participate due to a physical injury which occurred during off duty exercise; and a second cadet making a career change decision;

  2.  Speaking of the Academy, Inspector Ken Baptiste is back from his year+ tour of duty with the Texas Air National Guard as part of Operation Lone Star at the border-We are blessed to have Ken with us again!

3.  And, as discussed briefly at the chiefs' conference in September, ODOP continues to work with Chancellor Milliken on a prospective new UTSP Police Academy and Training Center initiative--Sr. Inspectors Bobby Harper and Rey Trevino are doing the heavy lifting on this for us;

  4.  Inspector Geoff Merritt was able to return to the Academy and teach a class to BPOC #105 as Geoff continues his recovery-It's always a blessing to have Geoff in the classroom!

  5.  On the replacement Police Inspector position at ODOP downtown (Paul Maslyk's former position):  we had 24 applications before closing the job posting with 14 initial interviews and three finalists selected for a second interview; we should have this position filled before Thanksgiving;

  6.  On the new FTE Police Inspector position at the Academy:  We have 15 applications and will be closing the job posting this week in order to begin interviews;

  7.  On the Administrative Associate position (new FTE) at the Academy:  the job posting remains open but is expected to close before Thanksgiving;

  8.  We have a Board of Regents meeting on 16-17 November;

  9.  I know I speak for all of us when I say thanks again to Chief Don Verett and his staff at UT Austin PD for the marvelous job they did with our 2022 chiefs' conference-Bravo!

  10. The policy on facial hair has been issued and minor changes to policies on outer load bearing vests and sexual assault record-keeping are in the queue; my thanks to A/C Glenn Cole, UT Arlington PD, for the stylistic and formatting changes he recommended to our Code of Conduct policy-We will be adopting those as recommended to update the policy language and narrative;

  11. Sr. Inspector Angel Lemmonds successfully completed the Senior Management Institute for Police hosted by the Police Executive Research Forum in Boston, the first ODOP Inspector to ever attend;

  12. Inspector Ken Baptiste will be ODOP's next participant in the FBI National Academy program and we applaud him for his interest;

  13. We have DAV training scheduled for 11/16 with Sr. Inspector Harper coordinating that effort;

  14. The next meeting of the Academy Advisory Board is scheduled for 11/29/22 at the Academy-My thanks to Chief Parks as the Chair and Inspector Ashley Griffin for coordinating the meeting-We will have some rotation on the AAB with Chief Zacharias retiring, Chief (retired) Robert Dahlstrom stepping down and some movement in the public members;

  15. For perhaps the first time in UTSP history, we will have two police chief searches underway at the same time-I am working with the senior leadership at both UT Austin and UT Dallas to facilitate both of these searches;

  16. My hope is to have the 2021 Use of Force and Pursuit reports finalized and posted shortly as well as the annual 2021 UTSP/ODOP report-Short staffing has simply slowed all of those production efforts;

  17. After the first of the new year, A/D Ruben Puente will take a fresh look at moving forward on a new UTSP recruiting video production;

  18. My thanks to A/D Puente for a highly successful Internal Affairs training class and special thanks to Sr. Inspector Charlie Dunn, UT Houston PD, for his partnership in making that class happen;

  19. High praise to Chief Adan Cruz and Chief Mike Parks for making the transfer of policing responsibilities at the UT Center at Laredo from UTHSC SA PD to UTRGV PD a complete success;

  20. Chief Ken Adcox and A/C Jay Tillerson have forwarded their recommendation regarding retirement system changes that began with our discussion at the chiefs' conference--I have asked Faye Godwin, UTS Employee Benefits, to review and then begin to run the numbers; thanks to Ken and Jay;

  21. The policy on the Peer Support program should be forthcoming shortly and is being coordinated by Inspector Ashley Griffin;

  22. My thanks to COS David Ferrero and Inspector Griffin for changing their schedules and working essentially continuously at the Academy for BPOC #105 to backfill for our staffing shortage there; and thanks to Sr. Inspector Rey Trevino and Inspector Robert DeRohn for stepping up to instruct additional classes for the BPOC-We should all be proud of this Academy Team (Rey, Ashley, Geoff, Ken, Robert and David) making it happen for Class 105;

  23. Given the integration of the UT Health Center Tyler with the University of Tyler to create a single institution over a year ago, Chiefs Robert Cromley and Mike Medders continue to work in partnership and with ODOP to finalize the transition from two institution police departments into a single PD-Kudos to both Robert and Mike for their hard work and investment of time for this initiative-ODOP is working closely with the UTT senior leadership to assist;

  24. COS David Ferrero continues to work closely with the state grant folks on our UTSP application for ballistic grant funding-At their recommendation we have reduced the request to shields only and deleted the additional costs of cases and wings-This should put us back on the active for consideration list;

  25. ODOP sent Sr. Inspector Angel Lemmonds, Inspector Ashley Griffin and Sr. Administrative Associate Lydia Navarro to the recent TCOLE conference in Corpus;

  26. Lydia Navarro does incredibly crucial work on behalf of all of us day in and day out here at ODOP but rarely gets the credit that she deserves for her work with TCOLE on a daily basis and supporting every UTSP licensed person throughout the year-Please join me in congratulating Lydia on her promotion to Senior Administrative Associate!  Thank you, Lydia!

  27. A/D Ruben Puente is managing the racial profiling program with the retirement of Inspector Paul Maslyk;

Texas System Police Association Executive Board of Directors held its monthly meeting on October 29, 2022 to discuss the association's business. Topics of discussion were: Texas System Police Association Banquet Texas System Police Association June Meeting and Training Conference TSPA Store. TSPA Website Victory over Violence Walk/Run ______________________________________________________________ The Executive Board will move the TSPA Banquet to June 2023, to be a part of the June Membership Meeting and Training Conference. The TSPA Executive Board of Directors and the TSPAF Board of Directors have agreed to schedule the event for June 9-10, 2023. The location selected is at the Aloft Hotel at 2333 W. Mockingbird Lane in Dallas, Texas. A board member asked should the association continue to sell products online. The Executive Board decided it would ask the TSPAF Board of Directors to control the sales of association and foundation merchandise online. The association has employed a web designer to create a better functioning and looking website for our members. The Executive Board of Director has signed the contracts for service. Because of the importance of a functioning professional website, the Executive Board moved the date from January to November. Texas System Police Association will attend the Victory over Violence Walk/Run. The board is planning to ask the membership and others to register a member of team TSPA for the walk/run. The event will be posted soon. The Executive Board is now researching companies that will give discounts to the association's membership. Also, a motion was made to purchase and sell TSPA coins. The motion asked for the new coins to have the association seal on the front of the coin and the foundation seal on the back of the coin. The Executive Board will create a plan to increase membership in TSPA. The plan will be created and the Executive Board will be briefed at the next board meeting. Items still of the agenda for the TSPA Executive Board: Mediation for campus police officers CLEAT’s bill concerning TRS retirement Other benefit TSPA can offer to its members