The investigation into the shooting incident that happened in one of the dorm buildings on Alabama A&M’s campus is now being handled by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.
On Monday afternoon, Alabama A&M Police Chief Montrez Payton gave details about what exactly happened just before 2 p.m. in the Knight Student Housing Complex.
Payton said, “One of our officers was doing a routine patrol of the Knight Complex Building. He was on the fifth floor at the time when he heard shots being fired below him. So, at that moment, he responded to see where the shots were coming from. And also during that time, he made contact with an individual in the southwest stairwell of the Knight Complex Building. Multiple shots were exchanged in that stairwell, where an individual was hit multiple times.â€
Payton says one person was injured in this shooting and taken to Huntsville Hospital.
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency has now taken over this investigation.
Late Monday evening, ALEA confirmed the individual shot by the officer was a student at the university. They were injured and transported to Huntsville Hospital for treatment. ALEA added, "The officer was not injured during the course of the incident."
Payton weighed in about concerns from parents and students about their safety on campus.
Payton said, “We just have to continue working together, working with our community to build those relationships with our students. Like I said, unfortunately, these things are occurring more frequently. So a lot of times it's kind of difficult to pinpoint what we can do; we’re trying our very best efforts to make sure our students know that this is a safe place for them to learn and get their education.â€
