Campus Alert Archive
Howard

8:35 PM Bison Alert on the 101st Homecoming: Five Shot in 600 Block of Howard Place, Including a 13-Year-Old

DCshootingemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

On Friday evening, October 24, 2025, shots were fired in the 600 block of Howard Place NW just before 8:30 PM EDT during Howard University's 101st homecoming weekend, wounding three men, one woman, and a 13-year-old boy. Howard Public Safety pushed a campus alert at 8:35 PM EDT warning of increased police presence and reports of open gunfire near campus. None of the victims were Howard students; one attended Morgan State, the opposing team in the next day's homecoming football game. 17-year-old Kaevaughn Dudley was later arrested and charged on 20 counts.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
5
Institution
Howard University
Hbcu · DC
~12,500 studentsHU Alert / Bison Safe
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence · 1 verified verbatim

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTSMS
Approximate reconstructionHBCU Gameday reporting on Howard campus alert147 chars
HU ALERT: Increased MPD/HUPD presence in the area of Howard Place NW due to reports of open gunfire near campus. Avoid the area. Updates to follow.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The 8:35 PM EDT timestamp is reported by HBCU Gameday, roughly 13 minutes after MPD and HUPD officers responded to reports of gunfire at about 8:22 PM EDT near the 2500 block of Georgia Avenue and Howard Place NW
Reconstructed from media reporting on the alert; the verbatim short-code SMS text was not preserved in a publicly accessible Howard archive
Howard Place NW is the central pedestrian corridor of Howard's campus, immediately adjacent to the Yard — the alert's reference to 'near campus' understates how close the gunfire was to core campus geography
FOLLOW-UPEmail
Verified verbatimHoward University Department of Public Safety official crime alert archive page for October 24, 2025549 chars
The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) is investigating a shooting that occurred near the 2500 block of Georgia Ave. and the 600 block of Howard Place NW at 8:22 pm. There were several people injured during the shooting and they were taken to a local hospital; two suspects were taken into custody. Preliminary investigation is being conducted. No further information at this time. Please avoid the area. If you have information about this incident, please contact the HU Department of Public Safety (DPS) at 202-806-1100 or call 911 to reach MPD.
Verbatim text from the Howard University DPS official crime alert archive — a Clery-required timely warning published on publicsafety.howard.edu for the October 24, 2025 homecoming shooting
The alert names the exact MPD investigation as the source, notes injuries were non-fatal, confirms two suspects in custody, and directs questions to the DPS at 202-806-1100 or 911
Howard's crime alert language notably uses 'near the 2500 block of Georgia Ave. and the 600 block of Howard Place NW' — two block faces — rather than naming the specific shooting spot, consistent with Clery compliance framing
Context

Background

Howard University's 101st homecoming weekend was unfolding on Friday, October 24, 2025 when Metropolitan Police Department and HUPD officers responded to reports of gunfire near the 2500 block of Georgia Avenue and Howard Place NW at about 8:22 PM EDT, discovering three men, one woman, and a 13-year-old boy with non-life-threatening gunshot wounds. Howard's Public Safety office pushed a campus alert at 8:35 PM EDT — roughly 13 minutes after officers responded — warning of increased police presence and gunfire near campus. MPD and HUPD pursued and apprehended two individuals at the scene, recovering three weapons. While none of the victims were Howard students, one was attending Morgan State University, the opposing team in the following day's homecoming football game. One of the victims, a college student, was later reported to have been paralyzed. Three weeks later, the U.S. Attorney's Office for D.C. announced charges against 17-year-old Kaevaughn Dudley on 20 counts. The shooting marked the second consecutive year that violence disrupted Howard's homecoming — following the October 2024 incident already documented in this archive — and intensified longstanding tensions between HBCU homecoming traditions and the public-safety challenges of campus-adjacent neighborhoods.
Analysis

Key Findings

The 8:35 PM EDT alert was sent roughly 13 minutes after officers responded to the 8:22 PM EDT gunfire report, demonstrating that Howard Public Safety retained notification capacity even during high-volume homecoming events
Howard's explicit framing — 'none of the victims were Howard students' — illustrates how HBCUs distinguish campus-affiliated victimization from proximity-based harm in their alert language
The shooting was the second consecutive Howard homecoming disrupted by gunfire (following October 2024), raising persistent questions about [HBCU homecoming security planning](https://www.thebanner.com/community/criminal-justice/morgan-state-university-homecoming-security-HLFFD5AHIBHSFLDLOBK7OCQ5PI/)
One of the five victims — a college student — was later reported to have been paralyzed, an outcome that the initial 'non-life-threatening' alert language did not anticipate
Outcome
Five people were shot — three men, one woman, and a 13-year-old — all with non-life-threatening injuries; one Morgan State student victim was reportedly paralyzed. MPD and HUPD officers pursued and apprehended two suspects at the scene; three weapons were recovered. Three weeks later, 17-year-old Kaevaughn Dudley of Washington, DC was arrested and charged with 20 counts associated with the October 24 shooting and is being held without bond.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Official
    CRIME ALERT - 10.24.2025 (Howard University Department of Public Safety)
    publicsafety.howard.edu
  2. Official
    Howard University Statement on the Recent Shooting Incident (The Dig at Howard)
    thedig.howard.edu
  3. Official
    Teen Shooter Arrested and Charged for October 2025 Shooting at Howard University's Homecoming (US Attorney DC)
    justice.gov
  4. News
    Howard University homecoming interrupted by mass shooting (HBCU Gameday)
    hbcugameday.com
  5. News
    5 shot near Howard University during homecoming weekend, 2 suspects in custody (WTOP)
    wtop.com
  6. News
    Five people, including 13-year-old, injured in October shooting during Howard University's homecoming weekend (WTOP)
    wtop.com
  7. News
    Four shot Friday night near scheduled Howard homecoming (Washington Post)
    washingtonpost.com
  8. News
    D.C. Shooting Shakes Up Howard University Homecoming (Washington Informer)
    washingtoninformer.com
Tags
shootinghbcuhowarddchomecomingnear-campusbisonalert-archiverapid-notificationgeorgia-avenue
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion