Amid search for shooters, DSU students blame outsiders

As a search for suspects continued on Sunday, Delaware State University students said multiple shootings during a Greek cookout Saturday night marked the worst example of trouble at a spring event that opens the campus to outsiders.

Three men, none of them students at the university, remained hospitalized Sunday after they were reported to have been hit when shots rang out at about 8 p.m. in a crowd gathered for the school's annual "Field Day."

Delaware State University President Harry L. Williams said in a statement posted online late Sunday afternoon that none of the three injured men attended the university. DSU spokesman Carlos Holmes said none of the victims' names would be released.

A second series of shots were fired at about 1:15 a.m. Sunday at the University Courtyard apartments, a university-run apartment complex off College Road just west of campus. No injuries were reported in that incident.

"They're still hospitalized and they're still being monitored by doctors and the police because they are part of the investigation," Holmes said. At about 3:30 p.m. Sunday, he said no arrests had been made.

Williams said he was pleased with student responses to the emergency and police directions. Police remained on "full alert," Williams said, but normal operations and classes will resume on Monday.

"Along with our great team of public safety professionals, we believe that the campus and its residents are safe," Williams said.

Students contacted on Sunday expressed frustration over the incident and the resulting negative attention to the university. Some said many students from other schools, and even non-students, attended.

"Last Field Day it got crazy, but nothing like this. There was never anything to this level," said Allison Holder, a sophomore biology major from Brooklyn, New York, who said she was within about 25 yards of the shooting. She said she believed one young man suffered a leg wound in the incident.

"This Field Day everybody decided to come. It's never really a security issue on campus" during other events, Holder said. "I just feel like everybody came from their own school just to release their anger."

Holder, who lives in an on-campus dormitory, said the crowd scrambled away instantly after the shooting, with police ordering all to stay inside. She said she waited until Sunday morning to call her family and tell them about the shooting.

"You know how events like that are. You get guests, people from the surrounding community see people having a good time, they find out about it, they show up," Holmes said. "We had a lot of guests that came here from the surrounding areas and other schools, people connected with similar fraternities and sororities or the same fraternities and sororities at other schools."

University administrators are likely to discuss what happened and possible moves to prevent a recurrence, Holmes said. Details on admissions controls used for the cookout were not immediately available, although Holmes said that people from other schools and the surrounding community had made their way in.

"There will be discussions, no doubt," Holmes said. "There already are discussions going on."

Campus security was tighter than usual Sunday morning, with virtually all vehicle access-points gated off and visitors being checked closely at the university's main entrance off U.S. 13. Small groups of students could be seen moving along the campus's main mall and between the campus and University Courtyard apartment complex, where the second incident of shots fired was reported.

Holmes said he had no additional information related to the alert sent out to students about shots at the University Courtyard complex.

In the second shooting, police were looking for a black man with short dreadlocks, 5 feet 9 inches to 5 feet 11 inches. He was wearing a tan and blue long sleeve T-shirt and white sneakers, according to the alert. The suspect was driving a dark-colored, four-door vehicle.

Sierra Butcher, a second-ysear integrated studies student from Wilmington, echoed Holder's comments.

"Our Field Day kind of went wrong," said Butcher, who said she canceled her plans to go to the event after school officials reported the emergency. "It really is a peaceful campus, but I think the commotion happened because of people who don't even go to Del State," Butcher said. "They came last year. People from other schools came and kind of ruined it for us.

"It makes us look like a bad school," Butcher said. "It makes us look like we're rowdy and obnoxious, when it's really people from other schools coming here and messing up our campus."

The campus cookout began at 4 p.m. and was scheduled to end at 9 p.m. Students said a large crowd turned out, with photos posted on social media suggesting that thousands might have been on hand.

Dover mayor Robin Christiansen said the shootings on and off campus were an awful incident. He said the city was notified Saturday night and police continue to work with the university.

"It's unfortunate something like this would happen, but you can't always control people's behavior," he said.

Nashaya Hampton, 22, said she was at the event Saturday night and heard a series of gunshots ring out. People then began to run, she said.

Hampton, a senior public relations and advertising major, said this year's Field Day was the busiest she's ever seen. The chaos caused on campus was not by students, but by others who didn't go to the school.

"This was a good event that got out of control because of one or two people who came in from the outside," Hampton said.

Butcher said events like Saturday's too often eclipse positive aspects of student life at Delaware State.

"The only thing that gets televised is the bad stuff," Butcher said. "But nobody is out here taping when we're out doing community service, giving to the youth, going to visit the jails, having motivational speakers here."

Jeff Montgomery can be reached at 463-3344 or jmontgomery@delawareonline.com. Follow him on Twitter @jmontgomery_TNJ

Jon Offredo can be reached at (302) 678-4271 or at joffredo@delawareonline. com. Follow him on Twitter @jonoffredo

Jen Rini can be reached at (302) 324-2386 or jrini@delaware online.com. Follow @JenRini on Twitter.