Loyola University Maryland students "shaken" after shooting at nearby Royal Farms
BALTIMORE -- Loyola University students are being more cautious after a shooting left a man injured at a Royal Farms near campus Thursday afternoon.
Officers responded to the convenience store in the 200 block of West Cold Spring Lane around 3:15 p.m. where they found a 47-year-old man suffering from gunshot wounds. He was taken to a hospital and is expected to survive, according to officers.
"We go there like twice a day," said Loyola student Alberto Perez.
"Oh, I come here every night, you know, to get some chicken, get some nice food," Loyola student Cameron Barnes added.
On Friday, there was still shattered glass in the Royal Farms parking lot which many Loyola students often visit.
"To think it was in broad daylight when this happened is very, very scary," Loyola student Bryan Schneider said.
"It's insane that it even happened like two minutes away from campus," Barnes said.
Barnes said his family reached out to him when they learned about the shooting.
"We have this campus alert app," he said. "The second it happened she [grandmother] had called me freaking out. My mom texted me saying 'Glad you're safe.'"
Students told WJZ the shooting has them more alert.
"I was in class when I heard about it and my roommate couldn't get back into the building," Schneider said. "We were all kind of, like, freaking out."
During parts of the day Friday, Baltimore police and university police officers were outside the store.
"I know some people are shaken up over it," Barnes said. "We have campus police but I think they need to up it up or something because something else needs to be done."
Students said the off-campus shooting doesn't reflect on the university.
"I'm not going to let this change my thoughts on Loyola," Schneider said.
WJZ asked university officials if they had plans to boost security in the area. A university spokesperson declined to comment. Baltimore Police are still working to learn the motive.
Witnesses or anyone with knowledge of the shooting should call police at 410-396-2455 or the Metro Crime Stoppers tip line at 1-866-7LOCKUP.
