Atlanta police release video of suspect in shocking HBCU shooting
Police are on the lookout for a suspect captured on surveillance video who they believe was the trigger man who shot four college students near the campus of Clark Atlanta University Tuesday night.
—Video shows terrifying aftermath when four Atlanta HBCU students are shot at block party—
Two students from Spelman College and two from Clark Atlanta were reported injured. One student was shot in the chest, one in the leg and bullets grazed the two other girls.
The students were identified as Erin Ennis, 18; Maia Williams-McLaren, 18; Elyse Spencer, 18; and Kia Thomas, 19, WSBTV reports.
The shooting happened at a college block party ahead of the first day of classes near the library which is shared by Clark Atlanta, Spelman and Morehouse students, according to police.
It was a chaotic scene as students ran looking for shelter.
The shooter is still on the run but on Wednesday police released video footage of a man who they believe is the shooter. They are looking for help in trying to identify the man.
Police need your help identifying this man. They believe he opened fire on the crowd of students in front of the AUC Library Tues. night. The shooting injured four young women ( 2 @CAU students & 2 @SpelmanCollege students). There’s a $2,000 reward for an arrest. #MorningRushATL pic.twitter.com/7l0EjlAkhT
— Nick Sturdivant (@N_SturdivantTV) August 22, 2019
Derrick Daniels, a sophomore at CAU, told reporters he helped one of the girls who was shot.
According to the AJC, Daniels took off his shirt and used it to apply pressure to a female student’s leg wound. Soon, students with ROTC training took over and then police arrived.
“I just went into autopilot and help mode,” Daniels said. “I took off my shirt and I helped her tie the shirt around her leg until Clark police and Atlanta police came.”
“My heart was mourning for her,” said Daniels, who didn’t know the young woman. “I knew I needed to do something to help her. Her friends were touching the wound but not really doing compression.”
He said he knew to apply pressure from his dad, who was in the military and as someone who learned what to do just by growing up in Chicago.
—White KKK member who sprayed Black teen with hose arrested by police and charged—
She said Spencer had just completed an internship last month with the city of Rochester.
Spencer’s family set up a GoFundMe account to help with medical expenses.
“My name is Elantra Spencer and on Tuesday, August 20th, 2019 around 11pm I received a call that my sister Elyse, a week old freshman at Spelman College, had just been shot in the chest right by her heart. Since then and upon contacting my mother, our only priority has been arriving in Atlanta to standby my sister. Though my family has been able to accrue the financial and emotional assistance to reach Atlanta, we are navigating unprecedented waters with minimal resources. Just a few weeks ago my mother used all of her funds to send Elyse off to college and cannot financially navigate this crisis on her own,” the post read.
“We are hoping $5,000 is enough to cover the long road of recovery ahead, from medical expenses to family survival. Currently Elyse is recovering from her emergency surgery and we are anticipating what our next steps will be.”
On Wednesday, Clark Atlanta released a statement which read in part:
“One of our top priorities at CAU is the safety and security of our students. Here at Clark Atlanta University, and across the country, students have the right to gather together in celebration without the fear of violence. We will not stand for it in the Atlanta University Center. We are working diligently with Atlanta PD to identify those involved.”
Police are asking people to call Crime Stoppers at 404-577-8477 if they can identify the shooter.
There is a $2,000 reward for information which results in an arrest.
