FORT VALLEY, Ga. – A shooting at an off-campus party near Fort Valley State University killed one person and wounded seven others, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said early Saturday.
Tyler French, 27, of Byron died Saturday around 3 a.m., Peach County Coroner Kerry Rooks told local news outlets. French was not a student at Fort Valley State, the GBI said.
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Several other victims were taken to hospitals, Rooks said. Fort Valley State officials said some of the wounded were students but said none of those injuries appeared life-threatening.
Social media showed scenes of panic as attendees fled the party a half-block off campus, which was being held in conjunction with the university’s homecoming weekend. A campus lockdown was imposed and then lifted.
School officials on Saturday urged affected students to contact the university’s counseling service.
“Our thoughts are with the students and the families as they recover,” the university said in a statement.
Fort Valley State canceled a Saturday morning alumni breakfast and homecoming parade.
School officials said they would increase security for the homecoming football game on campus Saturday afternoon against Clark Atlanta University.