Gunfire broke out as students were headed to homecoming celebrations on campus after Mister and Miss Morgan State were crowned at the Murphy Fine Arts Center, according to Aljazeera. Law enforcement was called to the scene after gunshots were heard, as well as several dorm windows shattered on Argonne Drive around the Marshall Apartment Complex dorms.

The incident prompted a four-hour lockdown while law enforcement looked for suspects. All classes were canceled on Wednesday. A motive has yet to be disclosed, and police are still currently looking for the suspect.

Jose Verdejo, the father of a freshman at the HBCU, told WJZ he drove two hours from New Jersey to campus when he heard about the shooting.

“I called my daughter, she told me she was locked in a library but she didn’t know what was going on,” he told the news channel. “I did let her know there was a shooting, I told her to stay away from windows, and then that made them nervous.”

Verdejo doesn’t know how the school can make him comfortable leaving his daughter on campus.

“I’m not going to leave my daughter behind until I feel comfortable. So I’m not leaving till I speak to someone, and I can get assurances that, you know, I can leave my daughter in their care,” he said. “And so far, I don’t feel assured at all.”

This isn’t the first time there has been an active shooting at Morgan State University. In 2022, a 20-year-old man was shot during a homecoming party. In 2021, an 18-year-old student was shot following campus celebrations, according to CBS News.

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott called for national gun reform during Wednesday morning’s news conference. He said guns shouldn’t be “in the hands of people who should not have them,” according to the news outlet.

“We have to deal with this issue nationally,” he said. “We have to get serious about guns.”

I cannot even fathom the feelings of parents who are fearing the safety of their children at Morgan tonight. It’s truly inconceivable, and there’s nothing I could ever offer that realistically navigates that real pain.

— Bill Ferguson (@SenBillFerg) October 4, 2023

Maryland state Senator Bill Ferguson agreed in a social media post.

“The repetition of these horrific events is about 1 thing: easy access to guns,” he tweeted. “This doesn’t happen at our rate in places where guns aren’t immediately available. Should we focus on mental health issues and the like, of course? But we have a choice: more guns or less.”

“This entire tragedy has nothing to do with Morgan State University, which is an incredible institution enhancing lives everyday,” Ferguson added. “It’s happening here tonight, but it’s possible anywhere when we accept a culture of guns being the answer. They aren’t and never will be.”