Crimeupdated 51m ago3 min read
Archive photo · 28 September 2019Anthony Rivers III Arrested After Shooting Near Florida A&M University Stadium, Prosecutor Says
4 Local Western3 Western Mainstream2 OtherPhoto: Michael Rivera, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cropped for layout
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Anthony Rivers III, 15, arrested for mass shooting outside Bragg Memorial Stadium; 11 injured. Faces 11 counts of attempted second-degree murder and firearm possession by a delinquent.
Arrest After FAMU Shooting
Anthony Rivers III, a 15-year-old, was arrested in connection with a shooting near Florida A&M University that left 12 injured, including six children, according to the Tallahassee Police Department. State attorney Jack Campbell said Monday he would be prosecuted as an adult, and police said Rivers will face 11 counts of attempted second-degree murder and possession of a firearm by a delinquent. Tallahassee Police Chief Lawrence Revell said, "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," and he added that the investigation remains "open and active."
Police said the shooting happened Saturday night near Perry and Manatee streets just outside Florida A&M University's Bragg Memorial Stadium, and police said "preliminary findings indicate a physical altercation occurred" before the shooting. Revell said the youngest victim was 11 years old, and he said at least three victims had sustained serious injuries with one in critical condition.
Charges Move to Adult Court
State Attorney Jack Campbell said Monday that prosecutors will move Rivers' case to adult court, and he said the teen appeared in court Monday for a brief hearing where a judge ordered that he remain in jail. Tallahassee Police Chief Lawrence Revell said investigators are searching for more video and want to talk with witnesses to piece together what happened after a fight broke out before the shooting Saturday night. Revell said the shooting erupted near a street corner just outside Bragg Memorial Stadium after Florida A&M lost to Arkansas-Pine Bluff, and police said eleven people were hit by gunfire.
Revell said ambulances were unable to get through because the area was so crowded, and officers carried the wounded through the crowds to emergency vehicles so the victims could be taken to hospitals. Revell said the shooting stemmed from an isolated dispute between just a few people, and he said investigators are looking for others who might have been involved and more arrests are possible.
Court Conditions and Ongoing Probe
Leon Circuit Judge Andrew Sheeran ordered Rivers to be held in "secure detention" while his case is pending, and the judge said it was required by statute given the nature of the charges. Assistant State Attorney Linda Berman asked Sheeran to sign an order that Rivers have no contact with the victims or witnesses, and Berman said, "He shall not have access to social media applications such as Instagram, Snapchat and any other applications like that." Sheeran told Rivers, "Your calls at the detention center are going to be monitored on a speakerphone," and the judge said, "and a log will be kept to ensure that you have no contact with any of the victims or witnesses."
State Attorney Jack Campbell said, "This is a continuing criminal investigation," and he asked the court keep the probable cause sealed from public disclosure for the sanctity and the security of the investigation and the witnesses involved. Tallahassee Police Department said its officers and investigators worked "around the clock" to identify the alleged shooter, and Revell said, "I could not be prouder of the men and women of this department."
