ATLANTA — Georgia State University students are voicing their concerns about safety on and around their campus after a weekend shooting left four people hurt, including two students.
The shooting happened near a gas station off John Wesley Dobbs Avenue known for attracting trouble, leading students to take extra precautions and seek reassurance from campus authorities.
Mehki Lawrence, a GSU student, said she feels there's a lack of safety on campus and has been taking additional steps to protect herself.
"I always pull out my exit points in case something pops off, and I never really go out at night by myself," she explained.
Lawrence, like many other students, said she feels the need to be cautious, especially after the most recent incident.
According to the police, the Sunday shooting stemmed from a dispute between two groups and escalated into an exchange of gunfire. Police said three of the victims -- one man and two women -- are stable after taking themselves to the hospital. However, officers said the fourth victim, a woman, was transported in critical condition. It's unclear which of the victims are the students.
Sunday's shooting comes roughly six months after a shooting in April in which another student was shot. A similar incident happened in December of the previous year, resulting in a fatality. All the incidents happened at or near the RaceTrac gas station, near the intersection of Piedmont Avenue.
Ava Greer, another GSU student, expressed her concerns about the gas station -- just across the street from the school's dining hall -- explaining that people tend to gather there, and this could lead to trouble.
"When you have people coming together in communion, there's going to be just one person who's like kind of like the bad apple out of the whole group," she said.
And that's precisely what police said happened in the April shooting. Police said there were large crowds gathered there when two groups started shooting. A bystander was caught in the middle and was shot.
University President M. Brian Blake addressed the issue the Monday after the shooting and acknowledged that the gas station is privately owned, which limits what the university can do to address the situation. However, the university is collaborating with the city to enhance student safety.
"I think that's going to be more driven by the city than by us, although we would be totally supportive of anything we can do in those spaces to make it more comfortable for our students," Blake said.
GSU Police Chief Anthony Coleman mentioned that the school increased patrols after the April shooting and even keeps an off-duty officer in the area. Despite these measures, students like Greer and Lawrence believe the university can do more to enhance safety.
In response to these concerns, RaceTrac's corporate headquarters, located in Atlanta, released a statement confirming that they are working with Georgia State University police to improve safety at the location.
In a statement, the company said it they are "committed members of our community" and will give all safety matters related to customers and employees the "highest attention and priority."
"We have been and are currently fully engaged with the Atlanta Police Department," the statement continued. "We have also reached out to the Georgia State University Police Department on this current incident as well as offered our support and commitment to continuously seeking ways to enhance security at our store."
Meanwhile, GSU officials are holding listening sessions and town halls for students where the university plans to outline safety improvements and allow discussion about other potential improvements.