WORCESTER—Following a shooting on campus that left a 19-year-old dead and a 21-year-old injured, Worcester State University sent a message home to students’ parents and guardians Tuesday alerting them to new security measures the school is taking.
“Our first and most urgent priority remains the safety and well-being of our students,” WSU President Barry Maloney and Acting President and Provost Lois Wims said in a joint statement.
Maloney and Wims called the shooting Saturday a tragedy that “has left us all heartbroken, frightened, and uncertain.”
Massachusetts State Police, Worcester and Worcester State police responded to reports of a shooting on campus around 2:30 a.m. Saturday and found two men with gunshot wounds, according to the Worcester County district attorney’s office.
The men were taken to the hospital, but Randy Armando Melendez Jr, 19, of Southbridge died from his injuries, the DA’s office said. Neither of the men were WSU students nor were their assailants.
Security protocols at residential halls are being enhanced starting the week of Oct. 29. These include a new security firm the school has hired to work alongside students at lobby check-desks, and a temporary suspension of all visitors to the residence halls, according to the letter from Mahoney and Wims dated Oct. 31.
Students may also notice an increased police presence on campus with uniformed officers from six state and local law enforcement agencies conducting patrols, according to the letter.
The university’s current safety protocols are being reviewed by school leadership and WSU Police Department Chief Jason Kapurch.
The university has also offered students support services, including one-on-one counseling sessions, daily walk-in/triage times, and the 24/7 ResilientU Mental Health Program.
“Be assured that support for our students will be in place for as long as necessary,” Maloney and Wims wrote. “We understand that many students are still processing the events, and that may take time. In addition to their physical safety, we are committed to the academic, emotional, and mental well-being of all our students.”
They asked families to encourage students who are struggling to reach out and use the counseling services.
“We are aware of the trust you have placed in us and do not take it for granted,” Maloney and WIms said. “Our students are amazing, and we are confident in their resilience and our community’s resilience as we move forward together.”
They encouraged families with concerns to contact campus leaders directly via emailing wsufamilies@worcester.edu.
State police are seeking the public’s help to locate Kevin Rodriguez, 18, who is wanted in connection with the shooting.
Rodriguez should be considered armed and dangerous, according to a statement from the Worcester DA’s office.
The DA’s office is asking anyone with information about his whereabouts to contact State Police detectives at 508-453-7589 or State Police Fugitive Apprehension Section at 1-800-KAPTURE (1 800-527-8873).
Another teenager, 18-year-old Richard Nieves of Southbridge, has already been arrested in connection with the shooting and charged with carrying a firearm without a license and trespassing.
Kiernan Dunlop is an award-winning journalist who has spent the past five years reporting in Worcester, New Bedford and Antigua and Barbuda. She’s been published in Bloomberg, USA Today, Canary Media, MassLive, and the New Bedford Standard Times, among other outlets. She can be contacted at kdunlop@theworcesterguardian.org
