Post Classifieds
Muhammad to stay at Buffalo State after shooting
By Michael Canfield
On September 12, 2012
Buffalo State freshman Jabril Muhammad is just happy to be alive. The last thing the 18-year-old
expected when he and two friends decided to go out after a cross country meet on the night of Aug.
31 was a gunshot wound to his arm. But that's exactly what happened to Muhammad, and he's dealing
with it the best he can.
"I had to have surgery on my arm, and they put in six pins and some plates," he said. "Other than that,
I'm doing good. It's still hitting me that I got shot."
Muhammad and his friends were involved in the first of two incidents over Labor Day weekend when
Buffalo State students were robbed in the neighborhoods around campus. The second incident involved
a female Buffalo State student who was robbed of her purse while walking with her friend around 3:50
a.m. on Sept. 1.
Muhammad and his friends didn't intentionally end up on Grant Street that night, but unfamiliarity
with the neighborhood and a GPS application that may have steered them in the wrong direction put
them on the corner of Grant Street and Potomac Avenue, several blocks from campus, Muhammad said.
While he doesn't remember everything that happened that night, he remembers seeing the gang of six
men, and remembers them calling out to Muhammad and his friends.
"They came up behind us, and we were like, 'Oh my God, we're going to get robbed,'" he said. "So they
came up to us, and one of them had a gun that he showed us, so we gave them all of our stuff. They
started beating my friend up, and then one hit me and I pushed him."
After that, Muhammad managed to get away from his assailants and attempted to flee.
"That's when they started shooting," he said.
Muhammad didn't realize the full extent of what happened until he flagged down a police car and had a
chance to cool down and think about what happened.
"That's when I realized I was shot," he said.
Incidents like this, while scary, don't necessarily mean the Grant Street area is a bad neighborhood, said
Chief of Police of the University Police Department Peter Carey.
"Every neighborhood has incidents that take place," he said. "It's not a bad neighborhood, it's a bad
group of people."
Carey said it's important to not put yourself in a position to be victimized, which can happen even when
you're following all of the safety advice recommended by the college.
"Our students weren't doing anything wrong, they were following safety precautions and it still
happened," he said. "It's a crime of opportunity."
Students should call the police immediately if they see something suspicious, Carey said, and if a
situation raises a red flag, go the other way.
Despite the incident happening fairly close to campus, Muhammad refuses to blame the school for what
happened.
"I can't really blame the campus," he said. "I don't think I should. Anything can happen. It was just a bad
experience."
Among other students, Grant Street does come with a bit of a connotation. Joe Giovannetti, a junior
living in the Student Apartment Complex, which faces Grant Street, sticks to areas he believes are safer.
"I wouldn't walk down Grant Street alone," he said. "To me, Elmwood is the safer side of campus."
Montana Young, a senior who commutes and sometimes has to park in a lot on the opposite side
of Grant Street, worries about the crime infiltrating campus. She said it's scary to know this kind of
violence happens so close to campus.
"I'm scared someone will break into my car," she said. "I keep pepper spray on my keychain just in
case."
For his part, Muhammad plans to stay at Buffalo State, despite the incident.
"I'm not going to get scared, and run away," he said. "I like it here."
Katie Anderson contributed to this report.
Michael Canfield can be reached by email at Canfield.record@live.com.
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