Gunshots were fired at the poolside and backend parking lot of University Courtyard Apartments, an off campus housing development, Saturday around 12:45 a.m.
A college party altercation was the start of a heated shooting between two gunmen at University Courtyard’s clubhouse, located at 3025 South Adams St.
“I pulled in the complex and heard two gun shots coming from by the pool house,” said Stephen Arnold, a 19-year-old sophomore criminal justice student from Tallahassee.
After hearing two shots, Arnold said he pulled further into the complex as police followed his car at a dangerous speed.
“The cops scared me,” Arnold said.
Arnold said police then slowed down to let frantic bystanders run to safety.
“As I was looking for visitor’s parking I heard three more shots fired,” Arnold said. “Then 30 seconds later I heard two more gun shots.
Rob Haughton, a 20-year-old junior pharmacy student from Philadelphia, said he was concerned about safety in the complex.
“[When I heard the shots] I just wanted to know where the security was,” Haughton said. “This is the fourth time someone was shot out here. The complex’s reputation is going down.”
Haughton said because there are no gates guarding the vicinity of the complex, it’s just not safe.
Nearly 10 minutes after the shooting, police vehicles surrounded the entrance, sides and back of the complex, as cars backed up the exit trying to evacuate the club house and the back of the complex, as cars backed up the exit trying to evacuate the club house and the apartments. After the shooting, the parking lot was roped off with yellow caution tape, which kept residents and visitors from retrieving their cars.
With 15 officers and 11 police cars, Sgt. Robert Di’Gonzalez, of the Tallahassee Police Department, said he plans to find out what persons were shooting so he can get them off the streets as soon as possible.
“Someone at the party starting shooting with a gun, therefore leading to someone else in the crowd shooting in their defense,” Di’Gonzalez said.
“We found a bunch of casings and shot gun shells, which lead me to believe that there were two shooters with two different guns,” Di’Gonzalez said. “We are still looking for some suspects. But the investigation still continues.”
Although there were no injuries reported at the scene of the shooting, Lt.Taylor from TPD said hours after the party was over, Michael Israel Jones, 20, arrived at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital with a gunshot wound to the hand.
Lt. Ernie Stoll, a TPD officer, however, confirmed that the wound was not life-threateniing.
Anyone with information on the University Courtyard shooting contact the Tallahassee Police Department at 891-4200.