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FAMU student dismissed after being charged in shooting incident

By The Famuan and news reports
Black College Wire

A suspect in the March 21 shootings on Florida A&M University's campus has been dismissed from the university, and a suspect has been arrested in the armed robbery of a FAMU student on the previous day.

Antoine Williams

Antoine E. Williams, 20, was dismissed from FAMU on March 25 as a result of violating the student code of conduct by possessing a firearm on school grounds, university officials said.

Williams was one of five men arrested Friday in connection with a shootout on campus. No injuries were reported. Police arrested Williams with a firearm after he walked into Gibbs Hall following the shootings.

He was charged with possession of a firearm on school grounds.

Others also charged in the incident were Rashad Bell, 21, and his cousin Renaldo Bell, 20, who were not students. They were arrested for possession of a firearm on school grounds and for possessing a stolen firearm. Benjamin Robinson, 20, a student at Tallahassee Community College, was charged with three counts of aggravated assault, possession of a firearm on school grounds, shooting into an occupied vehicle and possession of a weapon with an altered serial number. Corey Johnson, 22, a student at Bethune-Cookman University, was arrested for aiding and abetting and accessory after the fact.

Craig George

All assailants were sent to Leon County Jail and all were released after posting bail. Williams' bail was set at $10,000. Robinsons' bail was set at $25,000.

Rashad Bell and Renaldo Bell were released on $2,500 each, and Johnsons' bail was set at $500.

Florida A&M University Police Department Officer Sherri Luke mentioned that further investigation is still underway.

Also last week, a FAMU student was robbed at gunpoint in mid- afternoon on March 20.

The Florida A&M University Police Department received an emergency call at approximately 1:50 p.m. on Thursday, March 20, from a victim who was robbed at gunpoint near the Palmetto North complex.

Craig George, 19, was later arrested and has been charged with robbery with a firearm, possession of firearm on school grounds, resisting an officer without violence and two marijuana charges including possession for sale.

George has also been charged with grand theft of afirearm and fraud impersonation of the attempt to use the ID of another person.

The victim's name and the items stolen have not been released, according to Lt. Angela Kirkland of FAMU PD. Kirkland responded to the dispatch.

Kirkland also said the robbery was out of the norm because it happened in the daytime. "There were more people in the daytime. It was just the opportunity that presented itself," she said.

Eyewitnesses say the shooting reportedly began with an argument between two men.

Williams was apprehended by FAMU police shortly after entering Gibbs Hall, a FAMU dorm, with a loaded gun. The same dorm was in the news last month when a resident, football player Mike Johnson, was arrested and charged with filing a false police report and damaging his room to make it appear he had been robbed at gunpoint.

Classes in the Benjamin L. Perry building were canceled for the remainder of the afternoon Friday while investigators processed the scene. The FAMU E2Campus system sent out an alert at 2:30 p.m. saying that the situation was under control.

Latasha Edwards and Matthew Richardson of The Famuan contributed to this article.

Posted March 24, 2008