Police to beef up patrols after Texas campus shootings

Authorities pledged increased patrols Saturday at Texas Southern University following three incidents of gunfire in less than four days, including the fatal shooting of a student.

Houston police spokeswoman Jodi Silva identified the student as 18-year-old Brent Randall, a freshman who died Friday en route to a hospital after being shot next to a student housing complex.

Another person was injured in Friday’s shooting and hospitalized. It remains unclear whether that person is a TSU student.

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Two men were detained but Silva declined to say Saturday whether they’re still being held. Police are searching for a third person who they believe was involved.

The gunfire that killed Randall was preceded hours earlier by another shooting near the same housing complex. No one was believed harmed in that incident but afterward the university issued a statement saying the “shooting incidents on our campus have been extremely difficult and troubling for our entire university community.”

On Tuesday, university police said a shooting after a poetry slam on campus injured another man.

Administrators promised that campus security and university police would increase patrols. Silva said Houston police also would boost patrols around the campus.

She said the latest shooting generated some confusion for emergency responders because it wasn’t immediately clear whether the housing complex was on campus. The building sits on the edge of campus, away from other structures, she said.

“We weren’t aware until later whether it was campus property or not,” she said.

Randall’s death came the same day as a fatal shooting at Northern Arizona University, and about a week after eight students and a teacher were fatally shot at a community college in Oregon.

“Like President Obama says, this is getting to be too regular,” Texas Southern President John Rudley said during a Friday news conference.

Meanwhile, one of three Northern Arizona University fraternity members shot and wounded by a fellow student has been released from the hospital.

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NAU spokeswoman Janea Laudick said Saturday that one of the victims has left the hospital but did not say which one. Laudick says all the victims’ families have requested privacy and for no additional information to be released.

Authorities say freshman Steven Jones opened fire with a handgun after a brawl erupted early Friday between two groups of students.

Police say Colin Brough was killed and Nicholas Prato, Kyle Zientek and Nicholas Piring were wounded. All four belonged to Delta Chi fraternity.

Jones was booked Friday on one count of first-degree homicide and three counts of aggravated assault.

The 18-year-old is being held on a $2-million bond.

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