Bowie State Resolves to Move Past Homecoming Shooting Incident

University Cancelled Classes, Hosted Wellness Events as Campus Recovers

 

MEDIA CONTACT: Jonathan Saxon, jsaxon@bowiestate.edu, 301-860-3607

(BOWIE, Md.) – Bowie State University cancelled classes for the week and instead planned a series of wellness events to help the campus heal and move forward from the traumatic disruption at the end of the Homecoming celebration on Oct. 7.

Gunfire was reported on campus Saturday night. Two 19-year-old men were found wounded in front of the College of Business and Graduate Studies before being transported to the hospital for non-life threatening injuries. The victims were not Bowie State students, according to Maryland State Police, which is leading the investigation into the shooting.

Bowie State President Aminta Breaux expressed her distress over the shooting during a press conference on Sunday morning.

“For a week, our campus was filled with nothing but happiness and joy,” said Dr. Breaux. “Our campus community is very much a peaceful community. This is not normal for Bowie State University.”

Group exercise classes along with other activities aimed at addressing increased stress levels and counseling services are being offered by the university to address mental health challenges being faced by students, faculty and staff in the wake of incident.

Dr. Breaux also hosted the first in a series of community conversation where she delivered remarks of hope and resilience and allowed students, faculty and staff to voice their concerns related to campus safety and the environment around homecoming. She viewed the forum as a way to get back the sense of normalcy that was disrupted by the shooting.

 “Today is the beginning of the healing process,” said Dr. Breaux.

Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy also addressed the audience and pledged her office’s support in bringing the shooters to justice. She also encouraged that the campus community could learn from the incident to keep such a thing from being repeated.

“The problem came to Bowie State,” said Braveboy. “We need solutions coming from a university like Bowie State. I believe the answer lies here on this campus.”

Dr. Breaux said that previous ideas, such as adding metal detectors to campus, will be revisited while reiterating that no one person has the solution to all the challenges the university faces. But she emphasized that Bowie State would not be paralyzed by the shooting and should not be defined by the actions of a few outsiders.

“I want to encourage our campus community to remember on whose shoulders we stand,” said Dr. Breaux. “Don’t let any one event define who we are.”

###

About Bowie State University
Bowie State University (BSU) is an important higher education access portal for qualified persons from diverse academic and socioeconomic backgrounds, seeking a high-quality and affordable public comprehensive university. The university places special emphasis on the science, technology, cybersecurity, teacher education, business and nursing disciplines within the context of a liberal arts education. For more information about BSU, visit bowiestate.edu.