“I think after the incident the students are just looking for more security and as of today, you know, they’re actually checking IDs and cars and stuff and it’s unfortunate that we had to be super checked. But it’s for the best.”

“It was terrible; “I couldn’t find my phone or my brother,” Tuskegee University student Sid Guynn told the Associated Press.

He said his brother was not a student at the university and came to visit when gunshots caused students to fall to the ground or run for their lives. Guynn hid under a car.

Guynn, 18, said schoolwide group chats were filled with messages of support for injured victims he said he knew personally. He said he came to Tuskegee from his home in Iowa this year because he wanted to learn in a close-knit Black community.

“Tuskegee, it feels like a family,” Guynn said, adding that “everyone is connected.”

Guynn said he hopes greater security will prevent gun violence on campus in the future. He also said he doesn’t want national attention to define the school and community he loves.

“It’s not like Tuskegee for something like this to happen,” he said.

La’Tavion Johnson, 18, died in a shooting early Sunday this also resulted in 16 injuries, 12 of which were by gunfire. The gunfire erupted in campus apartments in West Commons just after 1:30 a.m. Sunday.

Johnson was not a student at Tuskegee. So was Jaquez Myrick, 25, of Montgomery, who was arrested for possession of a handgun with a machine gun conversion device.

Myrick is not charged in Johnson’s death or the injuries of 16 others.

The shooting occurred as Tuskegee’s 100th Commencement Week was coming to a close. Tuskegee played Miles College in the homecoming football game.

Clayton said he knew a person who was injured in the shooting.

“He’s fine. He’s alive and well,” said Clayton. He said he was not a student.

Clayton said it’s understandable that there was a large turnout for the graduation ceremony and centennial event.

“Of course, we always have a celebration whether we win or lose the game,” Clayton said. “And it was also the end of homecoming week.”

The outdoor party featured food trucks and graduates held large-scale celebrations, Clayton said.

“There were too many people here,” Clayton said. “And a lot of people who weren’t supposed to be here ended up on their way to campus.”

Clayton said he thought it would be unfair for Tuskegee to have a negative image because of the tragedy.

“These are not students, so we don’t know these people,” Clayton said. “I don’t think the university should be blamed. I think incidents happen and then mass shootings happen all over the country. Tuskegee University is just one of the places that took a hit.”