Campus Alert Archive
Stillman

Pre-Dawn Self-Defense Shooting on Stillman's Tuscaloosa Campus Closed Classes for a Day and Released the Suspect to a Grand Jury

ALshootingemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

In the early-morning hours of March 9, 2020, 22-year-old Davanta Anderson was shot and killed on the campus of Stillman College in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The suspect was detained and later released after the District Attorney determined that significant self-defense issues required grand-jury review. Neither the victim nor the shooter were Stillman students. The campus was closed for the day while Tuscaloosa Police and Stillman Police investigated.

Alerts
3
Response
—
Killed
1
Injured
0
Institution
Stillman College
Hbcu · AL
~750 students
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

3 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
STILLMAN ALERT: Police activity on campus. Stay inside and avoid the area near the residential side of campus. Lock doors and remain in place until further notice. Updates will follow.

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

The body was found at approximately 4:20 a.m. CST, before most students were awake — a notification window where SMS push alerts are essential
Tuscaloosa Police, the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Violent Crimes Unit, and Stillman College Police all responded to the scene
Neither the victim nor the suspect were Stillman students, but the shooting still occurred on college property
UPDATEEmail
Approximate reconstruction387 chars
Stillman College has been informed of an incident that occurred on our campus in the early morning hours. Out of an abundance of caution, classes are canceled today, Monday, March 9. The campus remains an active investigation site. We ask students to remain in their residence halls or off-campus housing while authorities complete their work. Counseling services will be made available.

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

The decision to cancel classes for the day reflected uncertainty during the early hours of the investigation, before the self-defense framing had been established
Stillman administrators confirmed that no students were involved in the shooting — a fact that mattered for parent communications
The all-clear language was deliberately conservative because the suspect had not yet been formally cleared
FOLLOW-UPEmail
Approximate reconstruction351 chars
Update on this morning's incident: The deceased has been identified as Davanta Anderson, age 22. Neither Mr. Anderson nor the person of interest in this case is a Stillman College student. The investigation remains ongoing with the Tuscaloosa Police Department. Classes will resume tomorrow, Tuesday. Counseling and chaplain services remain available.

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

The follow-up explicitly distinguished between the victim and the suspect's relationship to Stillman — a deliberate communications choice for an HBCU navigating off-campus violence narratives
Tuscaloosa Police later said they had consulted the District Attorney's Office and that significant issues of self-defense were present, leading to the suspect's release pending grand jury review
Resuming classes the next day signaled the institution's confidence that the shooting was an isolated, non-student incident
Context

Background

Stillman College is a small private HBCU in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, founded in 1876 and historically affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). On the morning of March 9, 2020, Stillman College Police and the Tuscaloosa Police Department responded to a body found on campus at approximately 4:20 a.m. CST. The deceased was identified as 22-year-old Davanta Anderson, and a person of interest was detained at the scene. Investigators concluded that the encounter raised significant self-defense questions, and after consultation with the Tuscaloosa County District Attorney, the suspect was released for grand-jury consideration rather than being formally charged. Stillman canceled classes for the day and emphasized to families that neither party was a student — an institutional message common when off-campus violence occurs on HBCU grounds. The incident is significant for the archive as a documented case of a small-HBCU emergency notification triggered by a non-student fatal shooting in pre-dawn hours, where the response required tight coordination between campus police, municipal police, and a county DA navigating a self-defense claim.
Analysis

Key Findings

Pre-dawn timing (around 4:20 a.m. CST) made rapid SMS notification essential despite low active occupancy of campus
Stillman emphasized in its messaging that neither the victim nor the suspect were students — a recurring HBCU communications pattern
The District Attorney declined immediate charges due to self-defense issues, sending the case to a grand jury
Classes were canceled for one day and resumed the following morning, signaling institutional confidence the incident was isolated
Multi-agency response involved Stillman College Police, Tuscaloosa Police, and the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Violent Crimes Unit
Outcome
Davanta Anderson was found deceased on campus at approximately 4:20 a.m. CST. The person of interest was taken into custody, questioned, and released; the case was referred to the Tuscaloosa County District Attorney's office and a grand jury for review of self-defense claims. Classes were canceled for Monday, March 9, 2020. Both individuals involved were non-students.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Person killed in Stillman College shooting identified, person of interest released (CBS 42)
    cbs42.com
  2. News
    UPDATE: Man killed on Stillman College campus identified, suspected shooter claims self-defense (WBRC)
    wbrc.com
  3. News
    Fatal shooting at Stillman College leaves one person dead (ABC 33/40)
    abc3340.com
  4. News
    Stillman College closed Monday as authorities continue investigation (WSFA)
    wsfa.com
  5. Official
    Campus Police/Safety (Stillman College)
    stillman.edu
Tags
shootinghbcualabamatuscaloosafatal-shootingnon-studentself-defensesmall-hbcupre-dawn-incident
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion