BATON ROUGE, La. — The shooting that happened just feet away from Southern University’s campus felt miles away on Saturday.
With police and security out in force, thousands of students and alumni gathered for homecoming.
“This right here is peak southern hospitality,” Southern alumna Eryn Brown said. “I feel like everyone should experience Southern homecoming.”
The celebration comes just one day after 11 people were shot at a party just outside the campus gates. Baton Rouge police upped the number of victims from nine to 11 after two more came forward Friday night.
They also announced two arrests in the case.
Daryl Standberry, 28, and Miles Moss, 24, were both arrested for 11 counts of accessory after the fact to attempted first-degree murder and illegal use of weapons.
However, the shooter – or shooters – are still at-large.
“Based on all the information that has been obtained, investigators believe this to be an isolated incident,” Deputy Chief Myron Daniels said. “There is no ongoing threat on the campus of Southern University.”
There were questions about how the shooting would affect Saturday’s homecoming, but with police from multiple agencies patrolling the campus, the celebration went off without a hitch.
“It’s just something about this culture right here – that Southern culture that you can’t compare nobody to,” Southern alumnus Kolbe St. Julian said. “We just continue to show people that the culture is something different. It’s much more than just violence.”