After campus shooting, Morgan State University says it will bolster security

A week after a shooting on the Morgan State University campus in Baltimore, the school says it will enclose 90% of the campus to limit “unfettered access.”

The Washington Post reports that the plan includes an extension of the Morgan Wall, a physical barrier on Hillen Road. It also calls for “strategic placement” of security personnel at entry and exit points, as well as more guard booths and blue security lights, University President David K. Wilson said.

Other security measures include “more enhanced technology to enable us to identify anyone on the campus who is possessing a weapon,” more metal detectors, and a security booth outside Thurgood Marshall dining hall, near where the shooting occurred, Wilson said.

The proposed security enhancements are projected to cost about $22 million. The proposal will be submitted to Maryland Gov. Wes Moore.

The announcement comes after the historically Black university had to cancel or postpone homecoming activities for the first time in its history after five people were injured in the Oct. 3 shooting.

Police say two shooters were responsible, and the incident was likely the result of two disputing groups. The victims were not the intended targets, according to police. Four were Morgan State students ages 18 through 22, while the fifth was a visitor from Baltimore County.

Since the incident, the university has increased security patrols. An armed campus police officer is now stationed in front of Thurgood Marshall Hall 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Cameras are being added to the more than 850 already on campus for continued surveillance, Wilson said. A safety escort service is available daily from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m.

About 200 students and staff attended a town hall Tuesday. Some students expressed concerns that existing security measures are inadequate.