Campus Alert Archive
Lincoln U PA

Yardfest Turns to Yard Sweep: One Dead and Six Wounded at Lincoln's Homecoming

PAshootingemergency notificationmedium confidence

A mass shooting at Lincoln University's homecoming Yardfest in Chester County, Pennsylvania killed 20-year-old Jujuan Jeffers of Wilmington, Delaware and wounded six others around 9:30 p.m. on October 25, 2025. The shooting unfolded in the parking lot of the International Cultural Center as a post-football-game tailgate was underway; prosecutors later charged Karon Rollins, Makaveli Valera, and William Sells with murder, alleging the suspects came to homecoming to commit armed robberies of attendees' jewelry.

Alerts
2
Response
min
Killed
1
Injured
6
Institution
Lincoln University
Hbcu · PA
~2,000 studentsLincoln Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence

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 reconstruction206 chars
Lincoln Alert: Active shooter reported on campus. Shelter in place immediately. Lock doors, turn off lights, stay away from windows. Avoid the International Cultural Center area. More information to follow.

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

Reconstructed alert language consistent with news descriptions — Lincoln University did not publish the verbatim alert text publicly
Sent within minutes of the 9:30 PM EDT shooting at the International Cultural Center parking lot
Yardfest is a traditional post-football-game tailgate held annually during Lincoln University homecoming weekend
Lincoln University is the nation's oldest degree-granting HBCU, founded in 1854
ALL CLEARSMS
Approximate reconstruction186 chars
Lincoln Alert: The shelter-in-place order has been lifted. Active investigation continues. Avoid the area around the International Cultural Center. Please cooperate with law enforcement.

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

Reconstructed wording — university did not publicly release exact text
Not a true all-clear in the safety sense — suspects remained at large; alert lifted shelter-in-place but advised continued avoidance
Six victims were transported to Christiana Care, Crozer Health, and ChristianaCare Union Hospital
Context

Background

Lincoln University), founded in 1854 in Chester County, Pennsylvania, is the nation's oldest degree-granting historically Black university. The October 25, 2025 mass shooting occurred during Yardfest, the traditional post-football tailgate that anchors the school's homecoming weekend, in the parking lot outside the International Cultural Center building shortly after 9:30 p.m. EDT. Jujuan Jeffers, 20, of Wilmington, Delaware, was killed; six others between the ages of 20 and 25 were wounded by gunfire or in the panicked rush to escape. Pennsylvania State Police initially said multiple shooters were involved. Three suspects — Karon Rollins, Makaveli Valera, and William Sells — were later charged with murder and related offenses; prosecutors alleged they had come to campus intending to rob homecoming attendees of jewelry and valuables. The shooting was part of a wave of homecoming violence at HBCUs in fall 2025 that also included incidents at Howard, South Carolina State, Alcorn State, and Jackson State.
Analysis

Key Findings

Lincoln University's homecoming is one of the largest HBCU homecomings on the East Coast — the size of the Yardfest crowd both made it a target for predatory robbery and complicated the immediate police response
The shooting occurred outside the International Cultural Center, a major gathering point on campus — location of the previous April 2023 'Yardfest' shooting that injured two
Pennsylvania State Police rather than campus police led the response, reflecting Lincoln's rural Chester County setting
Charging documents indicate the suspects came to homecoming intending to commit armed robberies — the killing followed an attempted jewelry theft
Outcome
Campus placed on lockdown; students and staff instructed to shelter in place while police searched for suspects. Lockdown lifted later that night. Four suspects ultimately charged in the case.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    1 dead, 6 injured in homecoming shooting at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania
    cbsnews.com
  2. national media
    1 dead, 6 injured in shooting during homecoming at Lincoln University
    cnn.com
  3. national media
    1 killed, 6 wounded in shooting at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania
    nbcnews.com
  4. News
    3 new arrests, motive announced in October 2025 mass shooting at Lincoln University
    cbsnews.com
  5. News
    4 now charged in mass shooting that killed man during Lincoln University homecoming
    6abc.com
Tags
shootingmass-shootinghbcuhomecomingyardfestlincoln-university-pennsylvaniaarmed-robbery
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion