TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — Florida A&M University said it credits its on campus surveillance cameras in law enforcement’s investigation into a deadly shooting at its outdoor basketball court late last month.
The university said in a news release Wednesday that its cameras along with license plate reading devices were important in helping investigators identify and detain two individuals believed to be suspects in the Nov. 27 shooting incident that left one man dead and four others injured.
FAMU said its police chief Terence Calloway noted several of the campus’ 1,532 cameras helped Tallahassee Police Department detectives identify the vehicle that arrived on Osceola Street that had the individual with the gun to the campus.
An individual is alleged to have then walked to the outdoor basketball court and began shooting at the crowd of players and spectators.
The university said chief Calloway added the footage from the cameras clearly showed the face of the shooter.
FAMU said detectives arrested the suspected driver of the vehicle three days after the shooting and on Dec. 5 detained the alleged shooter.
According to law enforcement officials, the motive of the shooting was from an exchange on social media and the man who was in his early 20s in age that was killed was not the intended target of the incident.
“FAMU is dedicated to maintaining a safe environment where people can live, learn, work and play,” said Calloway in a statement provided by FAMU. “Our security systems were crucial in the identification of the two suspects and within days both were apprehended. Without that camera system, we would be still trying to put the pieces together.”
The university said it added security measures like signage, patrols, campus lighting, an additional camera and a license plate reader have been added for individuals who enter the campus.
FAMU acknowledged it removed the rims from the basketball goals at the outdoor basketball courts and did not say if or when the basketball rims would be reinstalled.
