Campus Alert Archive
TSU

Shooting, October 12, 2024

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Confirmed Threat

On October 12, 2024, at approximately 5:10 PM CDT, rival groups opened fire on each other on Jefferson Street near the Tennessee State University campus as homecoming parade crowds lingered, killing 24-year-old Vonquae Johnson and wounding nine others, including three children aged 12 to 14. First responders used their belts as tourniquets. Two suspects, Marquez Davis and DeAnthony Brown, were arrested two days later.

Alerts
3
Response
—
Killed
1
Injured
9
Institution
Tennessee State University
Hbcu · TN
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~8,600 studentsTiger Alert
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Documented Timeline

Alert Sequence

3 messages in sequence · 1 verified verbatim

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INITIAL ALERTMulti-channel
Wording not yet recovered

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UPDATEMulti-channel
Wording not yet recovered

A message was sent at this point in the sequence; its exact wording has not yet been recovered from the official record, so no text is shown. This site never paraphrases or reconstructs alert wording. Markers like this one keep the emergency's true shape and become word-for-word messages as recovery reaches the source.

UPDATEEmail
Verified verbatim1412 chars
Dear Campus Community, We want to clarify recent media reports regarding two separate incidents that occurred this evening. First, Metro Nashville Police are investigating a shooting that took place at 26th and Jefferson, near the House of Legends and Jefferson Street Missionary Baptist Church, several blocks away from our campus. Again, the shooting did not occur on campus. Unfortunately, police have reported one casualty, along with nine other individuals injured. Authorities released the following description of suspects still at large: Suspect 1: Male, Black, wearing a green top and pants. Suspect 2: Male, Black, wearing a black and white top with jeans; possibly in a Ford Fusion. In a separate incident at Nissan Stadium, Metro Police reported that three individuals sustained injuries following an argument that escalated into a fight in the parking lot. According to police, the three were injured when a large crowd began to run for safety, resulting in them being trampled. All were taken to local hospitals. This incident was initially reported as a shooting, but Metro Police have confirmed through video surveillance that this was not the case. The University will provide more information on both incidents as details become available. Please keep the affected families in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. Sincerely, University Public Relations & Communications
Verify this quote
FOX17 embeds the Dear Campus Community clarification emailfox17.comfind archived copies
Dual HTML + second-blind. FOX17 quotes the university Dear Campus Community letter. sha256 f559039a96f45ded07f5a533f2a2c9a151fd77cf8172f29b5c61585fa039c355. Seq 1-2 stay unconfirmed.
Context

Background

On October 12, 2024, approximately five hours after Tennessee State University's homecoming parade ended, gunfire erupted on the 2600 block of Jefferson Street at approximately 5:10 PM CDT. Investigators determined that two groups with gang affiliations exchanged words and then opened fire at each other in a parking lot still crowded with homecoming visitors. Twenty-four-year-old Vonquae Johnson, one of the participants in the shootout, was killed. Nine others were wounded, including three children aged 12 to 14. Officers and Nashville Fire Department personnel who were patrolling the area used their belts as tourniquets because they did not have their medical bags. The Metro Nashville Police Department arrested Marquez Davis and DeAnthony Brown, both 24, on October 14 at a short-term rental property near the scene. Davis was allegedly carrying an assault-style rifle with a loaded extended magazine at the time of arrest. TSU officials emphasized the shooting was off campus and not connected to the university, noting most students were at Nissan Stadium for the homecoming football game. The incident was the second fatal shooting near TSU during homecoming festivities, following a 2015 incident that also involved non-student shooters.
Analysis

Key Findings

The shooting involved rival groups with gang affiliations, and the deceased was identified as one of the participants in the gunfire exchange
Three children aged 12-14 were among those wounded, highlighting the danger to bystanders at large public gatherings
First responders improvised tourniquets from belts because they were patrolling without medical kits, raising preparedness questions
Outcome
Vonquae Johnson, 24, was killed. Nine others were wounded, including three juveniles aged 12-14. Suspects Marquez Davis and DeAnthony Brown, both 24, were arrested on October 14 at a short-term rental near the scene. Davis was carrying an assault-style rifle with a loaded extended magazine at the time of arrest.
Provenance

Sources

Every claim on this page is meant to be checkable. Open the links below (and the Verify this quote control under each confirmed alert) to read the original university, news, or archive page yourself. Hostnames are shown so you can see where you are going; archived copies survive when live pages move or disappear. See also our methodology.

  1. News
    Shooting near Tennessee State University after homecoming parade (CNN)
    cnn.com
    archived copy
  2. News
    10 shot, one fatally, after Tennessee State University homecoming parade (NBC News)
    nbcnews.com
    archived copy
  3. News
    2 suspects arrested in mass shooting near Tennessee State University (ABC News)
    abcnews.go.com
    archived copy
  4. News
    Mass shooting investigation underway near TSU during homecoming (Fox17 Nashville)
    fox17.com
    archived copy
  5. News
    Suspects in deadly Jefferson Street shooting appear in court (NewsChannel5)
    newschannel5.com
    archived copy
Cite this case

Campus Alert Archive. "Tennessee State University: Shooting, October 12, 2024." Incident of October 12, 2024. Added May 2026; last updated September 2026. https://campusalertarchive.com/case/tennessee-state-university-homecoming-shooting-2024-10-12/

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Tags
shootingfatalhbcuhomecomingtennesseemass-shootinggang-relatedoff-campuschildren-wounded
Added May 2026Updated September 2026Via ingestion