An October 25 shooting incident near William Carey University, which resulted in the arrests of two juveniles, prompted university officials to place the campus on a brief lockdown as a safety precaution while police attended to the situation.
A statement issued by the university confirmed that students, faculty and staff were instructed to shelter in place while police officers apprehended the suspects.
“WCU is thankful to the Hattiesburg Police Department and Forrest County Sheriff’s Department, which responded immediately and worked with university officials to ensure everyone’s safety,” the statement reads. “The incident that prompted the lockdown occurred on a public street in front of a William Carey building. The HPD’s investigation ended quickly with the arrest of the suspects.”
HPD officials said police responded to a call of shots fired in the 600 block of Tuscan Avenue at approximately 10 a.m. October 25. Two juveniles, whose names are not being released because of their age, were arrested and charged in connection with the shooting, along with a separate event the previous day.
There were no injuries reported in the incident.
One juvenile, a 13-year-old male from Hattiesburg, was charged with one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, one count of grand larceny auto and four counts of possession of a stolen firearm. The other suspect, a 17-year-old Hattiesburg resident, was charged with one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, along with four counts of possession of a stolen firearm.
Both juveniles were booked into the Forrest County Correctional Facility.
As a precaution, additional security at the school has been authorized until further notice.
There are additional charges pending for the juveniles. Because the investigation is ongoing, there is no additional information available at this time.
