Montgomery Police Chief James Graboys speaking to press on Oct. 5, 2025, after a mass shooting on the night of Oct. 4 in downtown Montgomery.Montgomery Police Department
The violence broke out shortly after 11:30 p.m. in Montgomery's crowded downtown entertainment district, just blocks from where Tuskegee University had faced Morehouse College at Cramton Bowl. The victims included Shalanda Williams, 43, and Jeremiah Morris, 17. Five others sustained life-threatening injuries, including another juvenile.
Montgomery Police Chief James Graboys said the shooting began when someone targeted one individual, triggering a chaotic exchange of gunfire between rival groups in the middle of a crowd.
"This was two parties involved that were basically shooting at each other in the middle of a crowd," Graboys told reporters Sunday. "They did not care about the people around them when they did it."
The incident cast a shadow over what had been a particularly active weekend for Montgomery's higher education community. Alabama State University held its homecoming football game earlier that day at Hornet Stadium, drawing large crowds of students, alumni, and visitors to the city.
Seven of the 14 shooting victims were under 20 years old, with the youngest being 16. At least two of the victims were armed, according to police, who recovered multiple weapons and shell casings from the scene near the Hank Williams Museum and Rosa Parks Museum.
Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed condemned the violence and vowed aggressive prosecution of those involved.
"We're gonna do whatever we can not only to arrest those responsible, we're going to do whatever to arrest those connected in any way," Reed said at a Sunday news conference. The shooters "had no regard for human life."
Police were within 50 feet of the shooting when it erupted, Reed said, with one officer arriving so quickly that he transported a victim to the hospital before an ambulance could arrive.
As of Sunday afternoon, no arrests had been made. Authorities were reviewing surveillance footage and interviewing witnesses as they worked to piece together what sparked the violence.
The shooting highlights ongoing concerns about safety at and around college sporting events, particularly during high-profile rivalry games that draw large crowds of students and community members. Both Tuskegee University and Morehouse College are historically Black institutions with proud athletic traditions and deep alumni networks.
The Montgomery incident occurred the same weekend as another deadly shooting at an HBCU. On Saturday, October 4, two separate shootings at South Carolina State University in Orangeburg left one woman dead and a man hospitalized during homecoming celebrations.
Jaliyah Butler, 19, of Saluda, South Carolina, was killed in one shooting at Hugine Suites, a student housing facility on campus. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division said the two shootings were not believed to be connected. The campus remained on lockdown through Sunday, with all homecoming events canceled. SCSU President Dr. Alexander Conyers expressed condolences and emphasized that "the safety and well-being of our students, employees, and guests remain our top priority."
