A 15-year-old boy has been arrested for the mass shooting at a Florida A&M University homecoming party that left 11 people wounded, including six children.
Anthony Rivers III was taken into custody Sunday, the day after gunfire erupted near the university stadium in Tallahassee, according to a statement from the Tallahassee Police Department. The Saturday night violence turned what was meant to be a weekend of campus celebration into a scene of chaos and injury.
Rivers was involved in “a physical altercation” with someone he knew before opening fire, police said. The department emphasized that the dispute appeared personal and targeted, yet the bullets struck bystanders indiscriminately. “None of the victims appear to have been the intended targets,” the department said in its update.
The casualty count includes six children among the 11 injured, though police have not released specific ages or conditions for the wounded. All victims survived the attack, which unfolded in the vicinity of the FAMU stadium during homecoming festivities that draw thousands to the Tallahassee campus each year.
Chief of Police Lawrence Revell condemned the violence in a statement issued after Rivers’ arrest. “What should have been a weekend of celebration in our community instead became a night of fear and violence for the victims and their families,” he said.
Revell added that investigators would continue working to build a complete case. “While this arrest marks a significant step forward, our work is far from over,” he continued. “We remain committed to holding those responsible accountable and getting answers for every family impacted by this tragedy.”
Rivers now faces 11 counts of attempted second-degree murder, one for each person struck by gunfire. He also faces a charge of possession of a firearm by a delinquent, raising questions about how a 15-year-old obtained the weapon used in the attack.
The shooting erupted amid the annual homecoming celebration at Florida A&M University, a historically Black institution whose festivities typically include concerts, parades, and large gatherings that spill into surrounding neighborhoods. Saturday’s violence brought an abrupt end to the revelry and prompted a major police response to the area near the stadium.
Authorities have not disclosed whether additional suspects are being sought or whether the person Rivers allegedly fought with before the shooting was among those injured. The investigation remains active as detectives process evidence and interview witnesses from the crowded scene.
Rivers’ detention came roughly 24 hours after the gunfire, a relatively swift arrest in a mass-casualty case complicated by the size and mobility of the homecoming crowd. Police have not specified what led them to identify the teenager as the suspected shooter.
The case has drawn attention to gun access among minors and the vulnerability of large public gatherings to sudden violence, particularly those tied to college events that attract mixed-age crowds including families and young children.
