Local

1 dead, 7 wounded at homecoming block party near Fort Valley State University

PEACH COUNTY, Ga. — One person is dead and 7 people were wounded in a shooting at a post-homecoming block party in Fort Valley Friday night, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

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The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said the shooting happened at an off-campus party near Fort Valley University on Carver Drive.

Peach County coroner Kerry Rooks said Tyler French, 27, died around 3 a.m. French was not a student at the university, the GBI said.

According to Rooks, several other victims were taken to hospitals.

The GBI said Saturday afternoon that all seven victims are stable.

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Students reported hearing multiple gunshots and running from the scene on social media.

Multiple gunshots can be heard on a video posted to Twitter.

Fort Valley State University is set to play its homecoming game against Clark Atlanta University Saturday afternoon.

The university has canceled its planned alumni breakfast and homecoming parade Saturday morning.

Officials released a statement Saturday, saying that they have enhanced security for the football game:

In the early morning hours of October 23, the Fort Valley State University campus police received reports of a shooting incident near the university at an off-campus event where students were in attendance.

There were student injuries, but at this time, none have been reported as life-threatening. One person is deceased and has been confirmed not to be an FVSU student.

As a precautionary measure, the campus was placed on lockdown until campus police determined there was no threat to the campus community. The lockdown has been lifted.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is conducting an investigation.

Our thoughts are with the students and their families as they recover. Counseling is available through the Office of Student Counseling and Outreach Services. Students may call 478-825-6278 or 1-833-855-0085.

In light of this incident, the homecoming parade scheduled for 9 a.m. ET today has been canceled. There will be increased security protocols in place for the homecoming game scheduled for later today.

It’s unclear if police have identified any suspects. The GBI has asked for the public’s help to identify the shooter or shooters.

Fort Valley State University is an HBCU about an hour-and-a-half south of Atlanta near Warner Robins.