A night meant for celebration at Lincoln University turned tragic this past weekend when gunfire erupted during homecoming festivities, leaving one man dead and six others wounded.
According to NBC News, authorities identified the victim as 25-year-old J’Wan Jeffers of Wilmington, Delaware. Chester County District Attorney Chris de Barrena-Sarobe confirmed Jeffers died shortly after midnight on Sunday, October 26, from a gunshot wound to the head.
The shooting happened around 9 p.m. on Saturday, October 25, outside the International Cultural Center on the school’s campus in Oxford, Pennsylvania. Crowds had gathered following the homecoming football game for a tailgate-style event when chaos broke out.
“It appears there has been a mass shooting there tonight,” Chester County Commissioner Eric Roe said in a statement, asking the community to keep students, staff, and law enforcement in their thoughts.
Officials said the six injured ranged in age from 20 to 25. One was a current Lincoln University student, another an alumnus, and the others were not directly tied to the school. All are expected to survive.
Investigators believe multiple shooters were involved. “We’re operating under the belief that the shooter, or shooters, in this case, did not come here with a specific design to cause a mass casualty event,” de Barrena-Sarobe explained at a press conference. “We’re treating this as a shooting that broke out in the middle of homecoming weekend.”
Zecqueous Morgan-Thompson, also from Wilmington, was taken into custody after officers responding to the scene saw him with a loaded Glock 28 handgun. He has been charged with carrying a concealed firearm without a license. Investigators have not confirmed whether the weapon recovered was used in the attack.
According to a criminal complaint, Morgan-Thompson admitted to transporting the firearm from Delaware, saying the gun belonged to his mother. He is being held on $25,000 cash bail at Chester County Prison.
Law enforcement agencies—including the FBI—conducted grid searches, brought in canine units, and are continuing ballistic testing to recover evidence.
Lincoln University President Brenda Allen called the attack “senseless violence” in a statement released Sunday. “Gun violence happens far too often in our country, and we are heartbroken that Lincoln University and its students are among the latest victims,” the statement read.
Classes are suspended on Monday, October 27, for what the university is calling “a day of healing and reflection.” The campus will remain open with staff available to provide counseling and support.
Witnesses described the scene as panicked and confusing. “It was just a stampede of people,” said Ajia Hopkins, who was on campus for Yardfest, another homecoming event. “There was no explanation after the running.” Lincoln alumna Dahjai Rogers, who was with Hopkins, added that while her friends were safe, several fell trying to escape.
The shooting at Lincoln University—recognized as the nation’s first degree-granting Historically Black College and University (HBCU)—comes just one night after another shooting near Howard University in Washington, D.C., where five people were injured.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said he has offered the state’s full support to the university and local law enforcement. “Please avoid the area, continue to follow the guidance of local law enforcement, and join Lori and me in praying for the Lincoln University community,” he wrote on X.