by Lia Armistead

The Valdosta Police Department responded to an alert one March 15 at 1:15 a.m. off Baytree Drive near the Gates apartments after gunshots were fired in a large crowed of people.

According to Adam Floyd of the Valdosta Daily Times, police are now looking for the person who supposedly started shooting in the crowd of people.

The police had originally arrived to check on the large group of people gathering outside one of the resident’s apartments, when suddenly gunshots were fired.

“People started running away from the area as the gunshots went off,” said VPD Capt. Bobbi McGraw, in a VDT article posted on March 17. “Witnesses reported some type of disagreement went on prior to police arrival.”

The article also reported that a 25-year-old man was shot in the leg during the incident, was treated at South Georgia Medical Center, and was eventually released.

Senior Chris Dunn was attending the party that hosted about 150-200 people when an altercation broke out.

According to Dunn, he had nothing to do with this altercation; however, ended up getting shot in the leg by someone in the crowd.

“The bullet went in one side of my leg and out the other,” said Dunn.

Out of the large crowd that attended the party, Dunn was the only one who received a bullet wound that night.

Dunn was taken into the hospital shortly after the shooting, and was released before noon on Sunday morning.

According to a WCTV article written by Winnie, McGraw also reported that there are no suspects in custody and no evidence for motive. VPD is looking in to whether it was an intentional shooting or if the shots were fired into the air and ricocheted off something.

“I’m not currently working with the police, but I’m not not cooperating with them,” said Dunn.

After the shooting occurred on Sunday morning, the VSU Police Department did not issue a campus alert to VSU students, faculty, and staff, according to WCTV, even though the incident happened near the University’s main campus that houses many students living off-campus.

WCTV also reported Chief Oswell Armour says because the shooting happened “5/10 of a mile away from the University”, and he “just didn’t feel like the alert was necessary.” Armour further adds that when the reports of the shooting came to VSUPD, the situation was basically over.

Valdosta Police are still currently looking for a suspect for the shooting, but has not yet been successful.