Lockdown on the yard: Suspect not an SU Student

A suspect is now in police custody after an attempted robbery and shooting transpired on Southern University’s Baton Rouge campus late Thursday night.
According to a news release from the Baton Rouge Police Department (BRPD), 20-year-old Larry McCray of Reserve, Louisiana, was arrested in relation to the shooting of a 19-year-old male around 9:40 p.m. on November 18.
Police were dispatched to 801 Harding Boulevard and found two victims in a vehicle parked in the roadway, the press release stated.
The University was placed on lockdown for nearly five hours as the Southern University Police Department (SUPD) worked alongside BRPD to capture the suspects. No one was allowed to enter or exit the University as police scoured the campus in an effort to regain order and safety. The lockdown was lifted early Friday morning.
McCray was apprehended and booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison for attempted 1st degree murder.
The victim was hit in the upper torso and was rushed to Our Lady of the Lake Hospital with life threatening injuries.
The police report also states that a second victim was uninjured.
Neither the suspect nor the shooting victim were a student at the University.
As news of the shooting circulated via social media, many students waited in fear and anticipation of what was next to come. SUPD issued a mass text message at 12:39 a.m., instructing all students to remain in their residence halls and await further instruction.
At 2:51 a.m., another message was sent and read that campus had been secured after placing one suspect in custody.
Senior and criminal justice major, Marcus Jones, from Gonzales stated that he learned of the shooting via a group text message.
“To be honest I questioned my safety because a lot of places on campus aren’t necessarily locked how they should be or secured the right way. The biggest thing to me was my safety,” said Jones.
Jones also stated that he believes SUPD handled the situation to the best of their ability.
Jamar Mitchell, a mass communication senior from Mandeville, Louisiana lives off campus and was more concerned about the safety of loved ones that live on campus.
“I have a cousin that stays on campus and she’s a girl so I instantly thought about that and I contacted her to see if she was okay,” said Mitchell.
Mitchell went on to say that he feels campus needs to be more secure.
“That’s why when I’m always on campus I just keep my head on a swivel because you never know what can happen,” finished Mitchell.
Southern University officials released a statement Friday morning.
It read, “The Southern University Police Department (SUPD) and the Baton Rouge Police Department continue to investigate a shooting incident that occurred on the Southern University Baton Rouge campus Thursday evening November 17, 2016. The campus is secure and the University is committed to providing a safe living and learning environment for its faculty, staff, students, and visitors. SUPD is asking the SU community to remain alert and cautious and to report any suspicious activity or any information that may be related to the shooting.”
Police believe that more arrests may be possible as the investigation continues.
SUPD has also stated that it will increase police presence on campus for the duration of the semester.
Anyone with any information regarding the incident is urged to contact BRPD’s Violent Crimes Unit at 225-389-4869 or Crime Stoppers at 225-344-7867.