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For Cameron Kelly, a shooting incident on Morgan State University’s campus during homecoming this year reminded him of circumstances from 2022 that hit particularly close to home. For the 2021 fall and spring semesters, Kelly, a communications major, roomed with Chase Marco Wilson at the Marble Hall Garden Apartments. At the time, Kelly knew Wilson as a temporary roommate, and he became a familiar face on campus. Now, he’s mainly recalled on campus as a convicted murderer.
Julian Fruh had just celebrated his 19th birthday when he was shot and killed in the 4400 block of Marble Hall Road in August 2022. The young security guard was finishing up his usual rounds along the apartment complex with a coworker when he was reportedly approached and shot by former Morgan student Chase Marco Wilson. Fruh later died of a gunshot wound to the head at Johns Hopkins Hospital.
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Caption: Julian Fruh helping with 8th-grade admission mock interviews at Saint Ignatius Loyola Academy.
Wilson was convicted of second-degree murder in July.
The shooting incidents have a lasting impact on students and their mindset about campus life, Kelly said. “Yeah, it brings a horrible outlook, because we do so many great things,” he said.
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The impact goes beyond the personal tragedy of a shooting, he explained. The incidents are experienced as reflections on the university and on the community of historically Black colleges and universities and those who have connections to them.
“But those 10 minutes of us cutting up … it’s really bad. It’s not just a little hiccup. Nah, we’re airing our whole homecoming out. It’s complicated.”
Morgan is a university with plenty to boast about, but if the issue of on-campus and residential crime isn’t aggressively addressed, can it ever truly call itself a top-of-the-line institution?
“Would I send my kid here? I would say yeah because Morgan State is going to have a better future than what they have now.” Kelly said. “I think it’s completely different than what we’ll see 10 years, 15 years from now.”
For Morgan State, 2023 homecoming was a chance to celebrate 156 years of illustrious history, its students’ past achievements and all achievements yet to come. The year marked many accomplishments for Morgan, including fellowships from the White House HBCU Initiative, a Maternal and Child Health Bureau Research Award from the federal government, and a historically large enrollment of more than 9,000 students in the fall.
Festivities such as the homecoming football game were meant to cap off the year and bring the ever-growing student body and alumni together. Perhaps even more importantly, this year was an opportunity to break a violent cycle. Sadly, those activities never came to fruition.
In October 2022, a 20-year-old man was struck down in front of the university’s student center during an impromptu party. The year previous, homecoming ended in an 18-year-old being hospitalized after a shooting on Montebello Terrace.
This year’s homecoming ended abruptly after, according to police, two gunmen fired shots around Thurgood Marshall Residence Hall and the Murphy Fine Arts Center the night of Oct. 3. Police Commissioner Richard Worley said the shooting began after a fight broke out between two groups of people. Five unintended targets were struck – one woman and four men, all of whom are expected to make a full recovery. Details about the shooter’s motives were still hazy as the investigation continued. What is known is that five innocent people ended up wounded, wondering if that day would be their last.
One moment, homecoming celebrants were relaxing with friends and enjoying themselves as Mr. and Miss Morgan State were just crowned. Seconds later, the packed campus turned into confusion and chaos as students, parents, faculty and alumni received an emergency email relaying news of the shooting and issuing a stay-in-place order. Some huddled underneath tables, others went to find loved ones or simply didn’t know how to react. To make the situation worse, the gunmen were still on the loose and would be for quite some time.
In addition to the dire situation occurring on campus, students inside dorms were further traumatized when SWAT teams stormed Thurgood Marshall in search of the active shooters. Going door to door, heavily armed officers approached students and searched the premises. While the aim was to protect students, our shocked reactions were evident.
“This was such a senseless act of violence perpetrated on our community after what was a family-filled and fun evening of celebrating the pageantry and beauty of our students,” Morgan State President David Wilson said at the time. “But Morgan is a strong family, and we will march on with determination to keep moving on.”
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Caption: Dr. David Wilson, president of Morgan State University, appears at a news conference on Oct. 4, 2023, following a shooting that left five people wounded.
Despite the president’s encouraging words, we knew that moving on would be much easier said than done. For Morgan’s student body, this is a repeat event and a hard pill to swallow, especially for out-of-state students, who left family behind and no longer have that immediate in-person support.
“I’m a little scared for my next homecoming, I’ll be honest. It’s likely to happen again. I’m considering if I want to go at all,” sophomore Tyrique Medlin told me. “I don’t want history to repeat itself.”
One suspect has been arrested since the shooting occurred. On Oct 12, an unidentified 17-year-old was taken into custody and charged with several counts of attempted murder. Using surveillance footage Baltimore, Washington Metropolitan and federal law enforcement officers identified a second young man in connection with the shooting. Police continue to search for 18-year-old Jovan Williams.
In the almost immediate aftermath of the Morgan State shooting, on the night of Oct 7, police responded to shots fired on Bowie State University’s campus, near Henry Circle. The incident left two 19-year-old men injured. As was the case at Morgan, this occurred during Bowie State’s homecoming celebrations, with many visitors on campus.
No arrests have been made in that shooting.
“It’s extra trifling because Bowie was basically extending their homecoming to Morgan this year.” Morgan alumni and mother of four Sharon Wright said. Wright has two daughters attending Morgan and is now more concerned than ever about them. The incidents at the two campuses have cast a dark cloud over their college experience.
“Just for the same thing to happen all over again. My daughters and the other students work hard the rest of the year, and homecoming is like their reward. It’s unfair.”
And for Wright and thousands of other parents of students at Morgan, Bowie and other campuses, safety is a daily concern. Increased security is in place at Bowie, said university spokesperson David Thompson, who pointed to an increased police presence on campus. In addition to license plate scanners and student IDs being checked upon entering Loop Road, there are also 19 new phone boxes scattered across campus so police can be contacted if needed.
At Morgan, Wilson announced that 8,000 feet of fencing will be built on the campus to make it more secure. Spokesperson Larry Jones said metal detection technology, cameras and other devices are under consideration to provide more security.
Such steps to ensure the physical safety of students, employees and people who visit Morgan State University, Bowie State University and other campuses are vital. At the same time, those institutions and the communities that surround them must work to protect the emotional wellbeing of students and their families and to restore their trust.
Despite the president’s encouraging words, we knew that moving on would be much easier said than done. For Morgan’s student body, this is a repeat event and a hard pill to swallow, especially for out-of-state students, who left family behind and no longer have that immediate in-person support.
“I’m a little scared for my next homecoming, I’ll be honest. It’s likely to happen again. I’m considering if I want to go at all,” sophomore Tyrique Medlin told me. “I don’t want history to repeat itself.”
Dreema Carrington is