Shootings in three college communities over the weekend killed one person and injured at least 21 others.
Police in Indiana, Delaware and Alabama are investigating separate shootings connected to crowded gatherings near college campuses, according to law enforcement and university officials.
Seven people were hospitalized in Bloomington, Indiana, near Indiana University’s homecoming festivities. In Newark, Delaware, the University of Delaware was still determining the total number of victims, though at least six were reportedly hospitalized. Near Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama, a shooting following the Magic City Classic football game between Alabama A&M and Alabama State left one person dead and eight others wounded.
People in Halloween costumes cross Main Street as police close several blocks in downtown Newark after a shooting on Halloween night Saturday. (William Bretzger/Delaware News Journal/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
In Bloomington, officers monitoring a large crowd near Kirkwood Avenue and Dunn Street heard gunfire at about 1:30 a.m. ET after midnight, police said. They then saw a man carrying a firearm run from the area.
Officers arrested the man near Dunn Meadow and recovered a gun and shell casings. Police said they had not determined whether the suspect fired any of the shots.
No deaths were reported in Bloomington, and authorities said they did not know whether other people had been injured.
Police said a disturbance in the crowd may have occurred before the shooting. Indiana University police and Indiana State Police also responded.
In Newark, Delaware, gunfire on Main Street Saturday night unsettled the University of Delaware community.
“We are deeply concerned about the shooting on Main Street Saturday night, which has impacted our entire community,” Peter Bothum, the university’s director of media relations, told News Outlet in a statement. “We are grateful to the Newark Police Department, which is leading the investigation. We will continue to communicate confirmed information, which will be shared on a dedicated alerts page (udel.edu/about/alerts) and updated as we learn more.”
University President Laura Carlson said victims were receiving medical treatment and thanked Newark police, campus police and other first responders who provided care at the scene.
“I am writing to you about the shooting last night in Newark on Main Street, although it is difficult to know what to say when violence like this erupts in our community,” Carlson wrote in an email to the university community.
“We are all impacted,” she added. “I ask that you keep the victims in your thoughts and hearts as they receive care. Please also recognize the impact and toll on our students and community members who were on Main Street last night and witnessed this violence.”
The university did not confirm the number of victims or say whether anyone had died. A report said at least six people were hospitalized. Newark police are leading the investigation, while the university urged students and staff to monitor its campus alerts page for verified updates.
In Birmingham, Alabama, one person was killed and eight others were wounded Saturday night after the Magic City Classic football game near Legion Field, police said. Officers found nine people suffering from gunshot wounds in the 400 block of Graymont Avenue West shortly after 7:50 p.m. ET.
One victim was in critical condition, while seven others were listed as stable, authorities said.
Birmingham Police Chief Michael Pickett said most fans and families had already left the stadium grounds when the shooting occurred nearby, where vendors had gathered along Graymont Avenue.
“I’m very grateful that more people weren’t injured,” Pickett said.
Police spokesperson De’Rell Freeman said one person was detained and taken to police headquarters for questioning. Officers also recovered and secured “multiple weapons,” Freeman said.
Alabama State and Alabama A&M are historically Black universities and longtime rivals. Their annual football matchup has been played for more than a century. Nearly 70,000 fans attended Saturday’s game, which Alabama A&M won 31-28. The Classic regularly attracts one of the largest crowds among games played in the teams’ college football division.
Emergency personnel respond to a shooting in Birmingham, Alabama, on Oct. 31, 2026. (Jokerta Horne via Reuters)
The Magic City Classic has such a storied history that Alabama State coach Eddie Robinson Jr., a former NFL linebacker and school alumnus, has proposed establishing a Hall of Fame dedicated to the game.
Separately, police in Dallas said four people were killed and 15 injured in three shootings in the same neighborhood. Police Chief Daniel Comeaux said investigators were working to determine whether the incidents were connected and what sparked them. Authorities made some arrests, but Comeaux did not say how many people were detained or identify the charges.
“This is a really big scene. It’s spread out,” Comeaux said. “We are interviewing some individuals right now that we have arrested, still trying to figure out exactly how it ties into all the shootings out here.”
In Fayetteville, Arkansas, six people were hospitalized with gunshot wounds after an early Sunday shooting. No arrests had been announced, police said in a news release. A preliminary investigation indicated that an altercation preceded the gunfire.
