Kent State University President Lester A. Lefton, Kent State Police Chief John Peach and Shay Little, associate vice president and dean of students, addressed the media today, April 3, at 11 a.m. in the large auditorium at the Schwartz Center. They provided an update on the incident that happened at the Kent Campus the night of April 2.
Quavaugntay L. Tyler, 24, originally from Cleveland, was arrested for Felony 4, carrying a concealed weapon pending further review by the prosecutor’s office. He is a freshman Kent State student.
During an argument with two female Kent State students, Tyler pulled a weapon that discharged immediately and struck his left hand. No other person was injured. The women fled. Police pursued the suspect and received reports that someone matching his description was at the Business Administration Building. The police ordered a shelter in place advisory for the Kent Campus.
One of the women from the argument called Kent State Police and told them that the suspect is probably wounded. Police located Tyler at Robinson Memorial Hospital around 11:30 p.m. where he sought treatment for his injury. Police recovered a weapon.
The shelter in place advisory was lifted, and all campus buildings are open today with normal classes and operations.
“The safety of everyone on campus has and remains my top priority,” Lefton shared with the Kent State community via email this morning. “We will do whatever is necessary to provide that security so that our students can learn, our faculty can teach, and our staff can support us all in a positive environment. I’m confident we are providing a safe learning environment each and every day.
“I know what happened last night will weigh heavily on everyone’s minds today, but the best thing we can do is get back to doing what we do best—going to class, serving our students, and reclaiming the Kent State pride that makes this such a special place to call home,” he continued.
Peach emphasized that the university trains and practices for such crisis situations.
“The university was well-prepared for this kind of emergency, and we responded quickly,” Peach said. “We had great cooperation from students, staff, area law enforcement and others to help safely end this incident in a swift and effective manner.”
For more information about Kent State, visit www.kent.edu.
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Photo Caption:
Kent State University Police Chief John Peach provides information to media regarding the April 2 incident that occurred on campus and resulted in the off-campus arrest of the suspect.
Media Contacts:
Eric Mansfield, emansfie@kent.edu, 330-672-2797
Emily Vincent, evincen2@kent.edu, 330-672-8595