15-year-old will be charged as an adult after 11 people were shot near Florida A&M University stadium

CNN, WCTV, DOUG TRAN, X, @FAMU, X/@FAMU

By Karina Tsui, Chris Boyette, Holly Yan, CNN

(CNN) — A 15-year-old faces 11 counts of attempted second-degree murder and possession of a firearm by a delinquent in connection with a mass shooting Saturday night that left 11 people wounded, Tallahassee police said.

Anthony Rivers III, who was arrested Sunday, will be charged as an adult, State Attorney Jack Campbell told CNN. During a detention hearing Monday, a judge ordered Rivers to remain in custody.

The investigation suggests a physical altercation took place among “individuals known to one another” before shots were fired, Tallahassee Police Chief Lawrence Revell said.

“At this stage of the investigation, none of the victims appear to have been the intended targets,” he said.

Few other details are publicly available, as the judge granted the police department’s request to seal the arrest warrant and affidavit. But Revell said more arrests are possible as the investigation unfolds.

The shooting near Florida A&M University’s football stadium took place just hours after the school’s homecoming game, where the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff beat the FAMU Rattlers 31-28. It’s unclear whether the off-campus shooting was connected to the game.

6 juveniles were shot in the melee

Six juveniles, including an 11-year-old, are among those wounded, Revell said. No deaths were reported.

In addition to those shot, a victim’s grandmother was injured while fleeing.

As of Sunday, five people had been released from the hospital, while six remained hospitalized, Tallahassee police said. Of those still being treated, one was in critical condition.

There have been at least 383 mass shootings in the US so far this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive, which, like CNN, defines a mass shooting as one in which four or more people are shot, not including the shooter.

Homecoming events at Florida A&M, a historically Black university with nearly 10,000 students, took place throughout the past week and were scheduled to conclude Sunday, according to the university’s homecoming schedule.

Authorities ask for the public’s help

Investigators established a tip hotline and a link for people to submit evidence.

“We need our community’s help. No detail is too small, and no piece of information should go unreported,” police said in a statement Sunday. “If you know something, please share it with our detectives. Your information could be the key to holding those responsible accountable.”

Florida A&M President Marva Johnson encouraged anyone with information to call the tip line, saying the Tallahassee police are leading the investigation.

“To our Rattler family and our surrounding Tallahassee community, I share your outrage and profound sadness at the senseless and despicable shooting that took place near our FAMU campus last night,” Johnson said in a statement Sunday evening.

“To all the victims, please know that we are with you and we are praying for your recovery in body, mind and spirit,” she said. “We have reached out to the members of our FAMU family who were injured in this tragic incident to offer our care and support.”

‘People are just scared’

Raymond Isham had just left campus when the shooting unfolded and said he was concerned about his daughter, who was in the area where gunfire erupted.

“She’s obviously going to have to process through this,” Isham told WCTV, “and we’re going to be there with her to walk through this.”

Stephanie Walters, who was selling HBCU apparel during homecoming, said she also heard shots.

“People are just scared,” she told CNN affiliate WCTV. “If you were out here, you heard the gunshots. It was a lot of them.”

Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey called the incident a “truly horrific and heartbreaking tragedy.”

“Tonight and in the days ahead, the FAMU family is not alone,” Dailey wrote on X. “Our entire community stands with you.”

This story has been updated with additional information.

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CNN’s Cara Lynn Clarkson, Amanda Watts and Cindy Von Quednow contributed to this report.