{
  "id": "2024-05-18-kennesaw-state-university-shooting",
  "slug": "kennesaw-state-university-shooting-2024-05-18",
  "institution": {
    "name": "Kennesaw State University",
    "shortName": "KSU",
    "state": "GA",
    "type": "public-r2",
    "alertSystemName": "KSU Emergency Management",
    "enrollment": 45000
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2024-05-18",
    "type": "shooting",
    "cleryCategory": "emergency-notification",
    "resolution": "confirmed-threat",
    "headline": "Student fatally shot outside a residence complex; suspect arrested the same day",
    "headlinePublic": "Student fatally shot outside a residence complex; suspect arrested the same day",
    "summary": "On May 18, 2024, a [21-year-old KSU student was shot and killed](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/kennesaw-state-university-georgia-student-killed-rcna152971) outside the Austin Residence Complex during a dispute. The suspect, who was not a KSU student, fired 11 times before fleeing campus. KSU issued an armed intruder alert at 4:07 PM EDT, and the [suspect was arrested roughly 12 miles away by Cobb County Police](https://gbi.georgia.gov/press-releases/2024-05-19/gbi-arrests-and-charges-cairo-man-murder-death-kennesaw-state-university).",
    "outcome": "Alasia Franklin, a 21-year-old junior and Student Government Association member, was killed. The suspect, Samuel El Harris of Cairo, Georgia, was arrested by Cobb County Police and charged with murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime. Harris was later sentenced to life in prison.",
    "casualties": {
      "killed": 1,
      "injured": 0
    }
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestamp": "2024-05-18T16:07:00-04:00",
      "channel": "push-notification",
      "verbatimText": "KSU Alert: Kennesaw Campus: Armed Intruder reported at Kennesaw State. Seek shelter in a secure location until further notice.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.11alive.com/article/news/crime/armed-intruder-reported-kennesaw-state-university/85-eac90256-9981-48ad-a15b-98086a876c4b",
      "sourceDescription": "11Alive, quoting the KSU Alert verbatim",
      "annotations": [
        "Quoted verbatim from 11Alive's reporting of the KSU Alert push notification",
        "The alert was issued around 4:07 PM EDT, directing the campus to seek shelter in a secure location",
        "The secure-in-place lasted approximately 36 minutes before the all-clear was issued",
        "This wording is byte-identical to the KSU Alert sent during the unrelated January 24, 2024 armed-suspect lockdown (also in this archive), consistent with a pre-scripted armed-intruder template message; each incident has its own independent news sourcing"
      ],
      "characterCount": 126
    },
    {
      "sequence": 2,
      "type": "all-clear",
      "timestamp": "2024-05-18T16:43:00-04:00",
      "channel": "push-notification",
      "verbatimText": "KSU Emergency: ALL CLEAR Person was shot on Kennesaw Campus. Suspect is no longer a threat to campus. Avoid the South Campus Housing area due to police activity.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.kennesaw.edu/emergency-management/emergency-notification.php",
      "sourceDescription": "KSU Emergency Management (quoted verbatim in The Sentinel student newspaper and multiple Atlanta-area news outlets)",
      "annotations": [
        "Quoted verbatim from KSU Emergency Management push notification reported by The KSU Sentinel and regional outlets at approximately 4:43 PM EDT on May 18, 2024",
        "The all-clear was issued about 36 minutes after the initial alert; it confirmed a person was shot while omitting that the victim had died",
        "KSU confirmed the student's death later that evening around 8:00 PM EDT"
      ],
      "characterCount": 161
    }
  ],
  "context": "On the afternoon of Saturday, May 18, 2024, a shooting occurred in front of the [Austin Residence Complex on Kennesaw State University's Kennesaw campus](https://www.11alive.com/article/news/crime/armed-intruder-reported-kennesaw-state-university/85-eac90256-9981-48ad-a15b-98086a876c4b). The victim, 21-year-old Alasia Franklin, was a junior and member of the KSU Student Government Association who was pursuing a career as a nurse practitioner. The suspect, Samuel El Harris, 21, of Cairo, Georgia, was not a KSU student and was reportedly Franklin's ex-boyfriend. According to the [GBI investigation](https://gbi.georgia.gov/press-releases/2024-05-19/gbi-arrests-and-charges-cairo-man-murder-death-kennesaw-state-university), Harris fired 11 rounds at Franklin during a dispute, leaving her deceased on the roadway. He then fled campus but was detained by Cobb County Police roughly 12 miles away. KSU's Office of Emergency Management issued a secure-in-place alert at 4:07 PM EDT and [lifted it at approximately 4:43 PM EDT](https://crisis24.garda.com/alerts/2024/05/us-authorities-issue-all-clear-at-kennesaw-state-university-in-kennesaw-georgia-may-18-following-armed-intruder-investigation-update-1). Harris was charged with murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime. He was [subsequently sentenced to life in prison](https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/22-year-old-sentenced-life-prison-shooting-killing-kennesaw-state-student/85-cd1f1f26-a43e-4c82-acc0-5def19c489ad).",
  "keyFindings": [
    "The suspect fired 11 times at the victim during a dispute outside a residence hall",
    "KSU's lockdown lasted approximately 36 minutes from the armed intruder alert to the all-clear",
    "The suspect was not a KSU student and was arrested roughly 12 miles from campus",
    "The victim was a junior and Student Government Association member"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "Georgia college student shot and killed on Kennesaw State University campus (NBC News)",
      "url": "https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/kennesaw-state-university-georgia-student-killed-rcna152971",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "GBI Arrests and Charges Cairo Man with Murder in Death of Kennesaw State University Student (GBI)",
      "url": "https://gbi.georgia.gov/press-releases/2024-05-19/gbi-arrests-and-charges-cairo-man-murder-death-kennesaw-state-university",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "Student shot, killed on Kennesaw State University campus (11Alive)",
      "url": "https://www.11alive.com/article/news/crime/armed-intruder-reported-kennesaw-state-university/85-eac90256-9981-48ad-a15b-98086a876c4b",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "KSU Student Killed in Campus Shooting; Suspect Detained (Marietta Daily Journal)",
      "url": "https://www.mdjonline.com/news/update-ksu-student-killed-in-campus-shooting-suspect-detained/article_d15bd4c6-1554-11ef-a6c3-cbf9ed59403e.html",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "22-year-old sentenced to life in prison for shooting and killing Kennesaw State student (11Alive)",
      "url": "https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/22-year-old-sentenced-life-prison-shooting-killing-kennesaw-state-student/85-cd1f1f26-a43e-4c82-acc0-5def19c489ad",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "KSU Emergency Management (quoted verbatim in The Sentinel student newspaper and multiple Atlanta-area news outlets)",
      "url": "https://www.kennesaw.edu/emergency-management/emergency-notification.php",
      "type": "official-archive"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "high",
  "tags": [
    "shooting",
    "fatality",
    "georgia",
    "residence-hall",
    "campus-lockdown",
    "public-university",
    "student-victim"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-05-03",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-07-16",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}