A federal investigator wrote in a court filing Tuesday that Jaquez Myrick, charged with possession of a machine gun after the Tuskegee University mass shooting, admitted firing his modified Glock but denied aiming at anyone. (Getty Images)
A federal investigator said in a affidavit Tuesday that a man charged in connection with the fatal mass shooting at Tuskegee University on Saturday told him that he fired his gun but denied aiming at anyone.
Jaquez Myrick, 25, of Montgomery, was arrested late on Sunday and charged with violating a federal law on possession of machine guns. Law enforcement alleges Myrick had a gun that was modified by a trigger activator, known as a Glock switch, which significantly increases the rate of fire on a firearm.
According to an affidavit filed by Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Special Agent Andrew Erdmann, who has been investigating machine gun conversion devices in Alabama since mid-2023, Myrick said he fired his Glock pistol in the Tuskegee University mass shooting but denied aiming at anyone.
A message seeking comment was left Wednesday with Terry Luck, Myrick’s attorney.
Myrick as of Wednesday morning had not been charged in connection with the death or injuries during the shooting, which took place on homecoming weekend for the school. An 18-year-old was killed and 16 others were injured.
Tuskegee University has canceled classes for the remainder of the week. A statement posted on the university’s website Tuesday said Tuskegee President Mark A. Brown was “intently focused on the safety concerns and the need for continued mental health support.”
According to Erdmann, Myrick said he purchased the Glock switch through an online transaction about two years ago and installed it himself. Erdmann wrote in the report that he believed owning a Glock switch for over a year seemed unlikely, as these plastic devices tend to break down quickly due to stress and heat.
Myrick remained in custody Wednesday morning as officials continued the investigation. Federal prosecutors asked Magistrate Judge Stephen Michael Doyle to keep him detained due to a “serious risk the defendant will flee” and for the safety of others and the community. Doyle had not issued a ruling as of late Wednesday morning.
Trigger activators have come under new scrutiny after authorities said they were used in a mass shooting in Birmingham last September that left four people dead and 17 injured. The Alabama Legislature may consider legislation next year filed by Rep. Phillip Ensler, D-Montgomery, that would make it a state crime to employ a trigger activator. Ensler introduced a similar bill in the legislative session spring, which passed the Alabama House but not the Senate.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Alabama has the fourth-highest rate of firearm deaths in the nation, with 25.5 deaths per 100,000 people in 2022. Alabama had more total gun deaths that year than New York State, which has almost four times the population of Alabama.