Georgia Bureau of Investigation releases information on Saturday shooting at Albany State

ALBANY – The five victims injured by gunfire during a post-homecoming gathering on Saturday at Albany State University were teenagers, including a 13-year-old girl and two high school students, ages 16 and 17, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

A sixth person, a 19-year-old female, was injured while trying to flee from the scene of the gunfire, the agency said in a news release.

The fatality in the shooting was identified as De’Marion Tashawn Daniels, a 19-year-old from Newnan. Daniels was not a student at the university, Dougherty County Coroner Michael Fowler said on Sunday.

In addition to the three teenage girls who received gunshot wounds, a 20-year-old woman was grazed by a bullet, the GBI said.

Gunfire rang out at the East Campus shortly before 9 p.m. on Saturday, a few hours after the conclusion of the ASU homecoming football game. The Albany State University Police Department requested the GBI’s assistance a short time after the shooting incident, and the campus was placed on lockdown.

No arrests have been announced. Individuals with information about the shooting are asked to contact the Albany State University Police Department at (229) 430-4711 or submit an anonymous tip by calling the GBI Tip Line at 1 (800) 597-TIPS (8477), by visiting gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online, or using the See Something, Send Something mobile app.

The campus is traditionally the site of gatherings after the game on homecoming weekend, Albany City Commissioner Jon Howard, an Albany State alumnus who attended the game but did not participate in any after-game festivities, said. Howard said the crowd on Saturday was the largest he has witnessed at the annual homecoming game.

“After the game, you have a lot of fraternities and sororities out on campus, just people having a good time seeing folks they only see once a year,” Howard, whose Ward I includes the East Campus of the university, said. “This is not only a wake-up call but a sign we want to be able to come together as a community and not have any knives or guns at these events.”

The commissioner said he believes that increasing safety will be a discussion going forward.

“Just because of the culture that we’re in, I think it’s something we’re going to see an increase in public safety to make sure the public is safe and the students are safe and the players are safe,” he said. “My prayers and condolences go out to the person that was killed and my prayers also go out to the other victims. And I’m wishing that individuals (realize) that this is not the way to settle their disputes. There’s a peaceful dialogue.”

Albany Police Chief Michael Persley sent an email to commissioners stating that the Georgia Bureau of Investigation is in charge of the investigation and that any information released would come through the agency, Howard said.

Special Photo: ASU