Campus Alert Archive
GSU

Officer Shot at Grambling State: Campus Party Near Hobdy Assembly Center Turns Violent Before 4 AM

LAshootingemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

In the early morning hours of Friday, October 18, 2019, a campus police officer and a non-student were shot at Grambling State University after gunfire erupted near an unofficial party at the Frederick C. Hobdy Assembly Center. Princeston Adams, 19, of Shreveport was arrested and charged with two counts of attempted second-degree murder. Students were notified of the shooting via text and email around 2 AM, and the campus was closed for the remainder of the day.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
2
Institution
Grambling State University
Hbcu · LA
~4,500 studentsGSU Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTSMS
Approximate reconstruction184 chars
GSU ALERT: There has been a shooting incident on campus near Hobdy Assembly Center. Campus is now closed. Seek shelter immediately. Police are on the scene. More information to follow.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Issued in the early morning hours of October 18, 2019, after shots were fired near the Frederick C. Hobdy Assembly Center -- the university's main arena
The incident occurred at an unofficial party, not a university-sponsored event, but took place in or near a campus building
Louisiana State Police were called in to assist Grambling State campus police with the investigation
This was part of a documented pattern of annual shootings at Grambling State homecoming-adjacent events
FOLLOW-UPEmail
Approximate reconstruction339 chars
GSU Alert Update: One suspect, Princeston Adams, 19, of Shreveport, has been arrested and charged with two counts of attempted second degree murder. Two individuals were injured: one campus police officer (non-life-threatening) and one non-student (transported to Shreveport hospital). Campus remains closed today. Counseling is available.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Confirms the shooting was not an active shooter situation at time of alert -- the suspect was identified and taken into custody
The injured campus police officer was shot in his lower body with non-life-threatening wounds -- the first documented GSU officer shot on campus in recent memory
Non-student victim received life-threatening injuries and was airlifted, distinguishing this incident from many other GSU shooting incidents where victims were non-critically injured
GSU subsequently increased security and restricted access to campus buildings after dark following this and related incidents
Context

Background

Grambling State University, an HBCU founded in 1901 in Grambling, Louisiana, experienced at least one on-campus shooting per year for five consecutive years between 2017 and 2021. The October 18, 2019 incident occurred at a party near the Frederick C. Hobdy Assembly Center, the university's main arena. According to the university statement, the gathering was not a university-sponsored event. Louisiana State Police assisted campus officers in the investigation. Princeston Adams, 19, of Shreveport was arrested and charged with two counts of attempted second-degree murder. Students received text and email alerts from campus around 2 a.m. The campus police officer who was shot had non-life-threatening wounds to his lower body, while the non-student victim was transported by air to a Shreveport hospital with life-threatening injuries. The Louisiana Illuminator documented that Grambling had at least one shooting per year for five years through 2021, raising questions about campus security and the university's ability to prevent outsiders from attending unofficial events on campus grounds.
Analysis

Key Findings

A campus police officer was among the two people shot -- unusual even at GSU, which had documented chronic shooting incidents between 2017-2021
The incident occurred near but not at an official university event, illustrating how unofficial campus-adjacent parties create security gaps even at small HBCUs
Grambling's documented pattern of annual shootings during this period prompted ongoing scrutiny of its campus security model
Suspect was identified and arrested quickly, suggesting the incident was targeted rather than random
Outcome
Princeston Adams arrested and charged with two counts of attempted second-degree murder. The campus police officer was shot in his lower body (non-life-threatening). The non-student victim was airlifted to a Shreveport hospital with life-threatening injuries.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Suspect arrested in shooting at Grambling State - KSLA
    ksla.com
  2. News
    Suspect arrested in Grambling State University shooting - KNOE
    knoe.com
  3. News
    Grambling State University has had at least one shooting per year over the last five years - Louisiana Illuminator
    lailluminator.com
  4. News
    GSU students react to on-campus shooting - KNOE
    knoe.com
Tags
hbcugrambling-stateofficer-shotcampus-partylouisianapattern-of-violencearrest-madeassembly-center
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion