Charges pending for man who shot himself while committing robbery at Towson University
By Adam Thompson, Ashley Paul, JT Moodee Lockman
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BALTIMORE (WJZ) — A man was arrested after he was injured by a self-inflicted gunshot wound while committing a robbery at Towson University on Thursday, according to school officials and Baltimore County police.
Around 9:15 p.m., Towson University Police were called for possible gunshots fired in a stairwell in Tower C in the 150 block of Cross Campus Drive.
They arrived to find an injured man who was taken to a local hospital with a self-inflicted, non-life-threatening gunshot wound, officials said.
During their investigation, county and school police determined that the injured man was not a student at the university. Officers said he fired the weapon, hitting himself in the lower body.
According to county police, the shooting occurred as the man was committing a robbery. No other injuries were reported.
Charges are pending, and the investigation is ongoing, police said. This appears to have been an isolated incident, according to officials.
“Firearms are strictly prohibited on TU’s campus, and an immediate after-action review is underway,” school officials said.
The incident comes as the university prepares for its annual TigerFest weekend event.
“I was standing over there around that pavilion, and I’m hearing somebody shot themselves and I’m like, ‘Huh?’ So I walked up the stairs and saw endless cop cars, endless ambulances, I didn’t know what was going on,” said a freshman named Mack.
Video taken by students showed the enormous response on the 150 block of Cross Campus Drive after police responded.
“It was just kind of scary because you don’t know what’s happening. All you know is shots are fired, someone got shot. And I’m like, oh my God, that’s actually insane,” said junior Edwardina Beeko.
Another student video showed the suspect being loaded onto an ambulance.
“It’s like dang, a random dude could just come in there with a gun, and you would never know. What if the dude wasn’t robbing someone but wanted to kill people, wanted to shoot the school up, or something? I don’t feel safe,” said Mack.
Students say residents of the dorm are required to swipe their Towson student ID card to get into the building, and any guests must be signed in by someone who lives there.
The desks are manned by community center assistants, who are often students themselves, not security guards.
“I’m not going to frisk anyone, we’re not like actual security,” said Beeko and junior Nancy Ekpo. “As a CCA, I’m very aware of safety and who comes in and out. I feel like we’re such a public base, I feel like me, in the back of my mind…we don’t have metal detectors or guards patting anyone down, you want to hope that nobody ever thinks to do this, but for me, I’m always like it’s a possibility.”
Right now, it’s unclear if the suspect was signed into the building or if he had an intended target.
Anyone with information is asked to call 410-887-INFO.
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