Crime
Victim killed in Tuskegee University Homecoming shooting identified as Latavion Johnson
In video clips circulated on social media, the rapid sounds of shots echo while people react in panic.
On Sunday, November 10, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s (ALEA) State Bureau of Investigation (SBI), responding to a request from the Macon County Sheriff’s Office, began an investigation into a tragic shooting at Tuskegee University. Around 1:40 a.m., Special Agents received reports of multiple gunshot victims on campus.
The violence unfolded just hours after the historically Black university’s 100th homecoming celebration.
Macon County Coroner Hal Bentley has identified the deceased teenager as Latavion Johnson, a resident of Troy who was not enrolled at Tuskegee University.
According to officials, Johnson, who was not associated with Tuskegee University, died from his injuries.
Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Lt. Jeremy Burkett reported that the incident occurred around 1:40 a.m., with dozens of shots ringing out near the West Commons apartment complex.
A total of 16 individuals were injured in the incident: twelve sustained gunshot wounds and were transported to hospitals in Montgomery and Lee counties, while four others experienced non-gunfire-related injuries.
The State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) has since been on-site, working diligently to collect and analyze evidence, while local and campus law enforcement secured the area and assisted emergency responders.
Witnesses at the scene described a chaotic moment when gunfire broke out, sending students and bystanders scrambling for cover behind vehicles and crouching to avoid stray bullets.
In video clips circulated on social media, the rapid sounds of shots echo while people react in panic.
Tuskegee city Police Chief Jennifer Mardis noted that campus access was particularly challenging for emergency responders due to the large crowds, emphasizing that “there were so many people there; you couldn’t get the emergency vehicles in.”
Tuskegee Police Chief Mardis, a former university campus police chief himself, stated that he had always feared such a tragedy on campus, saying, “You see it happen everywhere. It’s happened everywhere else but us.”
He later disclosed that a female student was wounded in her abdomen, while a male student sustained a gunshot wound to the arm. Authorities are actively investigating the incident, though no arrests have yet been made, and the motive remains unclear.
Tuskegee University leaders and students are grappling with the incident. During a somber convocation service on Sunday morning, Student Government Association President Amare’ Hardee spoke to the emotional toll the shooting had taken on the campus.
“Our gathering is shadowed by a heartbreaking event…this senseless act of violence has touched each of us,” he said, expressing sympathy for the victims and their families. Board of Trustees Chair Norma B. Clayton echoed these sentiments, encouraging unity and resilience within the Tuskegee community: “In tough times, tough people band together and survive. We’ve been surviving for 143 years, and I think we can continue to survive even more.”
The university has received messages of support, including from nearby Miles College, who extended their condolences to Tuskegee students, faculty, and staff during this tragic time.
ALEA is appealing to the public for assistance with the investigation. Anyone with information is encouraged to call 1-800-CALL-FBI, and digital evidence can be uploaded directly at fbi.gov/tuskegeeshooting24.
Tuskegee University has canceled all classes scheduled for Monday, November 11, to allow law enforcement to continue processing the scene. Grief counseling services will be available for students at the campus chapel.
The investigation is ongoing, and further details will be released as they become available.
Crime
Venezuelan national Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis shot in the leg by an immigration agent in Minneapolis
On January 14, 2025, federal law enforcement personnel were engaged in a targeted enforcement operation involving Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, a Venezuelan national who has been present in the United States since 2022.
The operation escalated into a high-speed pursuit, a physical confrontation, and an ambush by multiple subjects, necessitating the use of a defensive firearm discharge by a federal agent.
At approximately 6:50 PM, federal officers initiated a targeted traffic stop of a vehicle operated by Sosa-Celis.
The subject refused to comply with law enforcement commands and attempted to flee the scene.
During the pursuit, the subject’s vehicle collided with a stationary, parked car.
Following the collision, the subject abandoned the vehicle and fled the scene on foot.
A federal agent pursued the suspect on foot and successfully intercepted him. As the agent attempted to effect an arrest, the subject became combative, resulting in a violent struggle on the ground.
During this confrontation, two additional male subjects emerged from a nearby residence to intervene.
These individuals reportedly ambushed the agent, utilizing a snow shovel and a broom handle to strike the officer.
The situation escalated when the primary suspect, Sosa-Celis, regained his footing and joined the two additional subjects in the assault.
Reports indicate the suspect struck the agent with a blunt object (identified as either the shovel or broom handle).
Citing an immediate threat to his life while being outnumbered and actively assaulted by three individuals, the agent discharged his service weapon in self-defense.
The discharge struck Sosa-Celis in the lower extremity (leg). Following the shot, all three suspects retreated into a nearby apartment complex and initiated a barricade situation.
Following a brief standoff, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) successfully secured the perimeter and apprehended all three individuals without further injury.
Both the federal agent and Sosa-Celis were transported to a local medical facility for treatment.
Images from the scene showed Sosa-Celis conscious and alert during transport.
All three subjects involved in the assault are currently in the custody of ICE.
Further charges related to the assault on a federal officer and resisting arrest are pending review by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.