Man Pulls Gun in Off-Campus Altercation

A video obtained by The Bottom Line shows what appears to be an altercation involving a firearm occurring on Bobcat Court, the same location of the October 11 double stabbing of both a Frostburg State University and Allegany College of Maryland student.

The incident involving a firearm occurred on October 12, the day after the early morning stabbing, and is still being investigated by the Allegany County Combined Criminal (C3I) Unit. Investigators are currently acting on the belief that the two events are related, according to C3I. Due to the inability of the video to produce facial recognition, investigators are unable to definitively conclude that the individuals in the video are students. No arrests have currently been made in the ongoing investigation.

In the October 12 video, twenty visible individuals, all of whom appear to be male, confront each other en masse outside student rental buildings.

The eight second clip shows the crowd dividing at about the four second mark, when a voice can clearly be heard saying, “[Expletive] these guys, give me the gun, give me the gun, give me the gun!” An individual in white enters the clip from the left, is given what appears to be a gun by another individual in red, and proceeds to chase about half of the individuals towards the Frostburg State University campus. The subject in white can be seen raising his arm, wielding what is presumed to be a firearm, at about the seven second mark of the clip, as he yells “boom, what’s up.”

The video, immediately below, has been altered from it’s original format for clarification. The video has been cropped, subtitled, and highlighted for visual clarity. The content, however, was not manipulated. The original video file can also be found at the end of this article. Both videos contain potentially disturbing language and content.

The incident occurred northwest of the FSU campus, along the street known as “Bobcat Court,” located approximately 280 feet (85 meters) from Frostburg State University property, namely the State Street parking lot, and approximately 480 feet (146 meters) from Westminster Hall, an upperclassmen residence hall on the FSU campus. Bobcat Court is included in an area colloquially referred to by some FSU students as “the projects,” which include the many rental properties along South Water Street, near the Frostburg Pool and the Maryland Environment Department.

The Bottom Line staff was made aware of the incident on Thursday, October 15, the day before homecoming weekend. However, after conferring with both Frostburg State University Police Chief Cynthia Smith and Allegany County C3I, TBL staff agreed to postpone publication of the video in the interest of public safety, as well as to avoid compromising the integrity of C3I’s investigation.

A representative from C3I, who has been coordinating with The Bottom Line, commented on the ongoing investigation and the need for information: “we believe that there are students who know the individuals involved in the incident who are not willing to come forward. We would assure such individuals that we, at C3I, will do everything in our power to protect the anonymity of people with information pertaining to the investigation.”

The Frostburg State University administration is aware of the incident, and has been cooperating with C3I. Administrators have seen the video, obtained separately from The Bottom Line’s acquisition. Interim President Tom Bowling made the following statement:

“This disturbing video was sent to me by a student. I very much appreciate the student’s concern for safety that led to its being shared. I shared it with law enforcement officials. It was one of the factors that led to the recent increased presence of police officers from various law enforcement agencies in Frostburg. I deeply appreciate the support we have received from local law enforcement and I am hopeful that the distribution of this video will assist in the identification of the individual who was believed to be carrying a gun. Anyone with information is asked to call the anonymous tip line: 301-697-STOP  (7967).”

Anyone with relevant information should contact the tip line listed above or the Allegany County C3I office at (301) 777-0326.