WEST CHESTER — Chester County District Attorney Christopher de Barrena-Sarobe announced during a press conference Tuesday afternoon that the Glock model 28 .38 semi-automatic weapon found in the possession of Zecqueous Morgan-Thompson on the night of the mass shooting at Lincoln University is a ballistics match to a 380 caliber fired cartridge casing found at the scene.
“We don’t have any information about him being a student, an alum, or an employee with the university,” de Barrena-Sarobe said.
The DA said the Honorable Mackenzie Smith increased Morgan-Thompson’s cash bail on Tuesday to $1 million from $25,000 in the Chester County Court of Common Pleas.
“Like all defendants, he is innocent until proven guilty,” de Barrena-Sarobe said.
Law enforcement detained Morgan-Thompson, 21, of Wilmington, Delaware, at Lincoln on Saturday night, as previously reported. He was then charged with possession of a firearm without a license. On Tuesday, the DA confirmed that Morgan-Thompson is neither a student nor an alumnus of Lincoln University.
“We’ve said from the beginning, we are operating as if there are multiple shooters in this investigation,” the DA said.
Gunfire broke out during a post-football game Homecoming celebration at the International Cultural Center. Seven people were struck by gunfire including Delaware resident Jujuan Jeffers, 25, who died after suffering a gunshot wound to the head. Jeffers wasn’t a student nor an alumn of Lincoln, the DA confirmed.
Six other people, between the ages of 20 and 25, were struck by gunfire. The victims included one Lincoln student and one Lincoln alumni. The victims are all expected to survive, as previously reported.
We have not filed additional charges against the defendant. We cannot say whether the fired .380 ammunition struck any of the victims,” de Barrena-Sarobe said. “As law enforcement, as prosecutors, our duty is to protect the public and to responsibly pursue justice, even in the wake of an unthinkable tragedy.”
He continued, “This bail increase today is a step forward in that process, but our investigation is fluid. It’s continuing at this very moment with this incredible partnership that we have here.”
The DA confirmed there were thousands of people at Lincoln celebrating Homecoming when the shots broke out.
“This is a complicated crime scene that has a number of different fire carpet casings that we found during our almost day-long search of that crime scene,” he said. Lincoln’s campus spans 429 acres.
“Every asset from the state, from the county, from the FBI, and other partners in other states is being used at this very moment to track down every single lead,” he said. “In terms of sharing information about the investigation, we have to place the security and the integrity of the investigation first because we want to bring justice to the victims of this shooting.”
De Barrena-Sarobe shared care and concern for the victims of the shooting.
“On behalf of the entire law enforcement community here, on behalf of the entire first responder community here, we want to extend our deepest condolences to the victims of this mass shooting,” he said.
“I want the students, faculty, employees of Lincoln University to know that we feel for them, that we are doing everything humanly possible to restore just a sense of the security that was shattered on Saturday night.
The DA asked again for the public to come forward with video filmed the night of the incident.
“We need the public’s help on this,” he said. We have gotten some very important videos so far.”
Still, he said, “we know there’s more out there.”
People can call 1-800-CALL-FBI to share information.
“If you have a story to tell, if you saw something, we need you to come forward,” the DA said.
Even if the video might seem insignificant, de Barrena-Sarobe asked people to still call 1-800-CALL-FBI so that investigators can send them a secure link to upload those videos.
“We are going to continue to move forward in this investigation,” he said, adding that these witness accounts, these videos, are going to be what moves this investigation forward.
“I want to thank everyone who’s provided information so far,” he noted.
He declined to disclose how many fired bullet casings investigators discovered at the scene.
It remained unknown as press time if the tragedy on Homecoming this past weekend marked the first ever shooting on Lincoln’s campus during its 171-year history.
In 2022, there was a fatal stabbing, as previously reported. Nydira Smith, 41, of Philadelphia, was sentenced by Common Pleas Court Judge Nichole Forzato to 3 to 6 years behind bars for the assaults that ended a daylong violent dispute between her brother, Malik Stevens, who was a student at her own alma mater, and others on the campus. Jawine Evans, a Lincoln student, was killed and two other students, Clifton Walker and Eric Dickerson, were injured that night.
While the search continues for other assailants involved in Saturday night’s mass shooting, there isn’t currently a reward for tips. De Barrena-Sarobe said on Sunday that the incident did not appear to be a planned mass casualty event.
“The public is just as invested as us in chasing down each individual person who’s responsible for this,” De Barrena-Sarobe said. “We’re asking for that assistance right now. We’ve gotten a number of videos and tips.
We’ve had a number of people interview with us. We need to have more of that.”
Classes will resume at Lincoln on Wednesday.
Of the collaborative nature of the investigation between Chester County detectives, local police, the FBI and state police, the DA said when there is this amount of people, videos and witness accounts, the DA’s office needs every trained investigator on hand to dispatch them and chase down all the leads at once.
“Look, I have an all-star team of 24 detectives at my disposal, but I only have 24,” he said. And so when I can add the FBI, when I can add the skilled investigators that the (state police) has to offer, then we can come forward and we can push this investigation to the max as fast as possible.”
De Barrena-Sarobe declined to share any update on the six surviving victims.
“We don’t have any information that there’s any direct threat to anyone at Lincoln University right now or to that campus,” Barrena-Sarobe said
“My message to the world is that Lincoln University will stand strong,” said Osoname Fortune Omonagbe, who graduated valedictorian this past spring. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore delivered the keynote address.
“Our community has weathered challenges before, and we always emerge united, guided by love, resilience, and a shared mission to uplift one another,” Omonagbe said. “This tragedy will not define us, but rather deepen our commitment to fostering peace and togetherness.”
