by CALEB LILLQUIST
On Sept. 12, the Drake University student body received a mass email from Jerry Parker in relation to the shooting on 27th Street that occurred on Sept. 1. The email disclosed new information about the incident, including the identity of the student who pulled the trigger.
Tremell Murphy, a Drake senior and a member of the men’s basketball team, is facing charges for the accidental shooting of a fellow student. Murphy is also being tried for making a false testimony to the police and withholding information regarding the incident.
According to an article published by 13WhoTV, Murphy and other witnesses initially claimed that the student was injured in a fall. It has since been confirmed that the wounded student’s injury had indeed been caused by a gunshot.
Dean of Students Jerry Parker has continued to update Drake students about the incident as new information becomes available.
“This is a sad and difficult time for the Drake community,” Parker said in the initial mass email regarding the shooting that Drake students received on Sept. 1. “Our thoughts are first and foremost with the injured student and his family, and with the hope of a full recovery.”
Though the student who was shot was not fatally wounded, the shooting has sparked concern amongst the Drake community about safety on campus.
A first year student, who wishes to remain anonymous and who was a witness to the aftermath of the incident, commented about safety on campus and what she saw of the shooting.
The student said that she was two houses down from where the shooting happened, during which people at the party began to rush out of the house to the nearby street for safety. It was only minutes after the partygoers got out of the house when officers of the Des Moines Police Department arrived on the scene and rushed past the crowd of students.
The event has impacted the anonymous first-year by making her more aware of her surroundings.
“In the middle of campus I feel pretty safe, but as soon as I step out [into the area just off campus] I am kind of concerned about that,” the student said.
The student also commented on the “concerning” nature of the surrounding neighborhood. The anonymous source now urges students to travel in groups when going off campus just to be safe, because bad things can happen to anyone while also being aware of one’s surroundings.
First year student Matt Deike, on the other hand, offered a more confident outlook on the campus safety situation.
“I still feel safe on campus. I trust the public safety and administrators to make the right decision on my safety,” Deike said. “The Drake community is amazing, and I’m so blessed to be part of such a diverse and special community.”
