Online platform gives GSU students space to voice concerns in wake of deadly shooting near campus

ATLANTA — Students are calling for changes to campus security at Georgia State University following a shooting that occurred near a student housing building.

GSU students Masada Combs and Jennifer Okwudili started a new grassroots initiative called “Outspoken GSU” to address issues on campus they deem important.

“Outspoken GSU is basically an initiative that me and Jennifer started to be able to advocate for all the GSU students to pertain to what’s been going on recently,” Combs said.

The online platform is a space students can use to voice their frustrations.

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“We’ve had a lot of housing concerns. We’ve had a lot of safety concerns as well, following the shooting that just happened outside our campus housing unit,” Combs said.

Last week, Atlanta police told Channel 2 Action News that officers received reports of a person shot on Piedmont Avenue NE outside an apartment complex near the Race Trac gas station.

When officers arrived, they found a 21-year-old who had been shot multiple times. He was pronounced dead at the scene. His identity has not been released.

“We want to be able to press safety and make sure that there are no more shootings on this campus, there are no more violent activities happening on this campus. We want to make sure that everyone is safe on this campus and that people are not walking on eggshells,” Combs said. “We want to be able to rally as much students as we can to just speak out against these issues, in hopes to bring a better future for GSU.”

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This is not the first shooting to happen near campus.

In December 2023, two people were shot on campus at one of the administrative buildings, leaving one of them dead. Before that, in October, four people were shot, resulting in one of the victims dying.

The Race Trac Corporate Office closed the gas station for good this week.

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“Many students wanted the Race Trac to shut down, or they wanted the school to do something about it. Over the years, it just got worse,” Okwudili said.

Georgia State leaders said they recently added more officers and cameras, required badges to access buildings and provided staff training. The school also made a $3 Million investment to add more cameras, lights and call boxes on campus.

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