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With the fall semester not even officially in session yet, Howard University is seeing an “increase in violent behavior” on its prestigious campus.
In fact, an incident recently unfolded that involved a large group of “D.C. locals” assaulting a handful of students. At least one person was ultimately stabbed, and a juvenile suspect armed with a handgun was taken into custody.
According to NBC4 Washington, the brawl unfolded in the early hours of Monday, Aug. 14. It specifically went down outside two of the HBCU’s residence halls and involved numerous people beating on students.
Two anonymous students who were present during the ordeal spoke with the publication and recalled, “A bunch of D.C. locals came up to us. It was maybe 5, 10, 20. … We were getting jumped.”
While the two men in question were able to flee, one of their friends was unfortunately stabbed. They also noted that he was “beat on by like 30 people” before accusing a security officer of failing to intervene.
“He got stabbed in the back and got beat on by like 30 people. … Security looked at him on the ground, watched his body go limp, and just walked away. Didn’t call anybody [or] do anything.”
Harrowingly, one of the young men declared, “I was prepared to die.”
“When I was on the ground getting stomped out, I just stopped feeling the pain at one point.”
At least one juvenile was taken into custody, and Marcus Lyles — Howard University’s Chief of Police — noted that the group was comprised of “30 to 60 city juveniles” during a town hall meeting.
In the wake of the incident, the Howard University Student Association released a statement acknowledging the “series of unfortunate adverse events of violent behavior among students and surrounding community members.”
On Wednesday (Aug. 16), the institution shared a five-point “safety plan” to promote “security transparency,” as well as other efforts in place.
During the anonymous student’s meet-up with NBC4 News, they called for increased security presence at Howard.
“I hope they start putting security in front of our dorm buildings. … We need to have, like, actual units driving through patrolling.”
The university also reportedly pledged to install 1,000 new cameras and implement “safety paths” to provide students with peace of mind.
