In a post-Virginia Tech. era, when college campuses are becoming a potentially unsafe place, Regis Hall residence had a scare.
At 2 a.m. students on the first floor came into the hallway to see a brawl that broke out between four residents and three black non-students males, one of whom carried a loaded handgun.
The three students, identified as Lavon Cobourne, Kareem Boston and Warren Knight, were all charged with third-degree assault and criminal trespassing. Cobourne was also charged with carrying a pistol without a permit.
Two of the suspects, who were taken into custody by the University’s Public Safety and the Fairfield Police Department, are believed to have entered the campus on a bus from the New Haven bar called RBAR, early Saturday morning.
According to Public Safety, some of the people involved in the incident had consumed alcohol.
Public Safety Director Todd Pelazza said that one of the suspects attempted to conceal a .22 caliber hand gun as the Public Safety Officers confronted the suspects. The three men were “invited” into the building by residents of the hall.
According to a student involved with the fight, who was granted anonymity, the suspects entered the hall asking, “Where are all the bitches?”
According to another eyewitness, who was also granted anonymity, the suspects entered his room and said, “Where are all the girls?”
Pelazza confirmed that derogatory comments were indeed made.
After the commotion exalted, the resident left his room and broke up the initial violence.
Regis Resident Advisor Gabriel Rojas ’09 said, “One resident came out into the hall saying he was ‘The Peacemaker,’ and stuck his hand out for a hand shake.”
The student was then struck by the other hand of the person, according to multiple eyewitnesses.
Rojas said that he was glad he didn’t know, at the time, that one of the men had a firearm because it would have made the situation much more serious.
According to Public Safety, no one was sent to the hospital as a result of the brawl. Although cash was reported missing from a room, no one has reported a robbery, according to Pelazza.
By the time Rojas arrived, the confrontation was over and the suspects were leaving. Rojas said that three other RAs responded to the incident.
After the police detained the suspects, two who are from Riverside, N.J. and the other from Burlington, N.J., Public Safety lined them up and asked witnesses to identify the three men, stated Rojas.
Vice President for Administrative Services and Student Affairs Mark Reed said that he was contacted in the middle of the night, a rarity, due to the presence of the firearm.
“I agreed with the residents’ actions,” said Rajas. “The moment itself was intense … when we heard that there was a firearm on scanner, that’s when you can put the term ‘Virginia Tech’ in the same sentence.”
In response to the incident, Public Safety has taken measures to further secure the campus.
“We [Public Safety] have increased our presence in Regis Hall as well as other residence halls,” said Pelazza.
The department advised students not to prop outside building doors open, to report suspicious behavior to Public Safety and to lock room doors even if students are gone if only for a short time.
In regards to concerns about a repeat occurrence, Pelazza said, “There is no information that there are other incidents of this type is likely to occur.”
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