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Georgia State president issues statement after shooting at RaceTrac near campus

The school said in a note to the community that a fight between two groups at the gas station "escalated into gunfire" on Sunday afternoon. A man died at the scene.

ATLANTA — Georgia State University President M. Brian Blake issued a statement Sunday saying the school will "continue to make strides in enhancing and defining our campus and securing our spaces" after a shooting at a RaceTrac near campus on Sunday.

A man died in the shooting incident, which occurred near campus just after noon according to the school. 

RELATED: Man killed in shooting near RaceTrac by Georgia State campus, police say

The school president's statement attributed the shooting to "a fight between two groups that quickly escalated into gunfire." 

"None of the parties involved have been identified as GSU students or staff," the statement added. "The off-duty police officer added earlier this year inside the RaceTrac was on the scene and responded immediately."

There have been previous violent incidents at the gas station, which GSU students told 11Alive back in October was the source of lots of trouble.

GSU President Blake stated about the situation:

Our campus leadership and public safety officers send our sympathy and condolences to the family of the victims. While the individuals involved were not affiliated with the university, we know these acts of violence affect us all, especially those that happen in close proximity to our campus facilities. Just after the incident, I debriefed with leadership at the RaceTrac and with city leadership, and our GSU Chief of Police maintains close contact with the Atlanta Police Department. We have made recent enhancements that added more officer monitoring and cameras, reoriented our building entrances and provided staff training, and we will assess this incident to make more impactful changes. We will continue to make strides in enhancing and defining our campus and securing our spaces. You have my commitment in continuing our proactive safety operations and to keeping our entire community informed.

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