After campus shooting, Archbishop Lori says ways must be found to channel God's peace in communities

(OSV News) -- Baltimore's archbishop prayed that "God's comfort and healing reaches all who experienced injury and terror" in the shooting that took place the evening of Oct. 3 on the campus of Morgan State University in the city and left five people wounded.

"We ask Christ our Lord and Savior to bring us deliverance from such violence," Archbishop William E. Lori said in a statement sent to OSV News Oct. 4 and posted on the archdiocesan website.

But as prayers are said for the victims and for an end to gun violence, he also urged everyone to "consider the ways that we might channel God's peace in our lives and communities. In His holy example, we can find the path forward."

Baltimore news outlets reported that at Morgan State University, one of the nation's historically Black universities, four men and one woman between the ages of 18 and 22 were struck by gunfire as students, alumni and families were celebrating homecoming. All five victims, four of whom are Morgan State students, were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley told reporters that at least two people opened fire during a dispute between two groups at the university's homecoming events. The shooting victims were apparently not the intended targets, he said, citing evidence that one person was the target but was not among the victims. Baltimore police released a surveillance video late Oct. 4 that shows several people walking in a grassy area on campus and have asked the public to help identify "persons of interest" in the video.

David K. Wilson, the university's president, said in an Oct. 4 statement that all homecoming activities have been canceled or postponed, including the Oct. 7 football game against the Stony Brook University Seawolves. Classes also were canceled for the remainder of the week, he said, adding the decision was made with an "abundance of sensitivity for the emotional wellbeing of the campus community."

He said the university "will implement campus-wide programming geared towards the health and welfare" of the university community.

"We strongly believe that this moment calls for reflection, thus allowing our students, faculty and staff the opportunity to focus on their mental wellness," he added.