Two Mississippi State University students were arrested early Friday morning following a shooting incident that occurred outside Ruby Hall.Sophomore Quinton Wesley and junior Michael Brown were suspended from the university pending a campus judicial hearing, according to a statement from the university Friday.
The two athletes were also subsequently dismissed from the football team.
Wesley, a defensive tackle from Atlanta, Ga., played in 12 games during the 2007 season. Brown, considered an NFL prospect by several news reports, was an offensive guard from College Station, Ga. Brown started and played in every game last season.
Head football coach Sylvester Croom declined to comment until the investigation is resolved.
Campus police charged Wesley with aggravated assault, indicating that he shot at a car outside Ruby Hall.
Brown was charged with possession of a gun on a school campus. Both charges are felonies.
Mike Nemeth, associate athletic director for media relations, said the university’s decision was to dismiss the two students from MSU.
“When they were dismissed from the institution, they were dismissed from the football program,” he said.
No one was injured and campus police recovered the firearms.
The incident occurred around 9:30 p.m. Thursday outside Ruby Hall, one of four residence halls in Zacharias Village.
MSU Police Chief Georgia Lindley said students inside or near Zacharias Village called in the incident, according to the Clarion-Ledger.
Lindley did not return multiple phone calls seeking comment.
Police, with assistance from Department of Housing and Residence Life staff, secured the area within the hour.
University administrators explained Monday why no Maroon Alert was sent Thursday despite the seriousness of the event.
An e-mail sent to students Friday afternoon said no alert was sent because officials deemed there was no “immediate threat” to students.
The decision not to alert students through the system differs from the steps outlined on the university’s emergency Web site. On the MSU Emergency Information site, several sample scenarios are given to show how the university would react in that situation.
One titled “Shooter on Campus/Hostage Taking” says the Crisis Action Team would notify students through instant and text messaging alerts and announcements via loudspeaker.
Mike McGrevey, vice president for finance and administration, said the threat was not imminent because it was neutralized quickly.
“I felt confident the incident on campus was over, all participants were in custody and therefore there was no threat to campus,” McGrevey said. “One thing we don’t want to do is over-alarm people.”
McGrevey served as the member of MSU’s Crisis Action Team and was on-call during the month of March. He also had to make a decision whether or not to issue a Maroon Alert immediately after the incident.
“Had somebody been [shot], we would have immediately gone to Maroon Alert,” McGrevey said. “We hope we haven’t raised the cultural awareness to the point that everything has to have [one].”
Vice president for student affairs Bill Kibler agrees.
“If we just sent out a message that said ‘active shooter on campus,’ what would happen? We would be responsible for inducing panic across campus,” Kibler said.
Kibler said officials have to give specifics and instructions on what students have to do to enhance their safety.
He also said comparisons of the incident to Virginia Tech are inaccurate because the circumstances are different.
“We did not have an active shooter on campus,” Kibler said. “That was not the circumstance the police discovered. If that serious crime doesn’t pose any threat to individuals on campus, there is no ongoing danger.”
McGrevey said one crucial detail separates the Virginia Tech tragedy from Thursday night’s incident.
“With [Virginia Tech], the police didn’t have suspects in custody already. We did,” McGrevey said.
Oktibbeha County jail records showed Wesley was released on a $15,000 bond and Brown on a $10,000 bond Friday.
MSU Police Lt. Don Bartlett told the Starkville Daily News that an altercation occurred at the B-Quik store on East Lee Boulevard before the incident on campus.
He would not elaborate on the altercation, but said it “may have been the motivation” for the shots fired on campus.
Bartlett was out of town Monday and could not be reached for further comment.
Cashier Joe Collins, who worked at B-Quik Thursday night, said he did not see Wesley’s truck at the gas station that night.
“Nothing unusual went on,” Collins said.
MSU police could not be reached to confirm or deny a rumor about a third suspect or another car involved in the shooting. Kibler said he had not seen evidence indicating that.
“If we had any kind of evidence that somebody was driving around campus and was firing a weapon, that would warrant a warning to students,” Kibler said. “Again, we have no way of knowing that happened.”
Dean of students Mike White said Friday the university detectives continue to pursue leads.
“University police continue to interview witnesses and additional criminal charges are being considered,” White said in a statement.
Three football players – Rodney Prince, Jamon Hughes and Anthony Johnson – were absent from Saturday’s Maroon and White game, according to writer Gregg Ellis’ blog on the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal Web site.
Ellis said on his blog that Anthony Johnson did not participate in the drills because of a broken ankle injury he sustained against Ole Miss last semester.
The athletic department could not confirm if the absences were related to Thursday night’s incident.
“We’re disappointed in the actions taken by the two student athletes involved and completely support the decision made by the university,” he said.
Senior communications major Tatiana Feit, a Ruby Hall resident, said she was inside her residence hall when the incident took place.
Feit said she was working in a study room and heard other residents talking about what happened. She said that she did not hear the gunshots.
She said the incident does not make her feel less safe about living in Ruby, but it does make her feel less secure on campus.
She said her parents were also concerned about the report.
“They are in France and this rarely happens [there],” she said. “They were shocked to hear that it happened in front of my dorm.