A 19-year-old named Javorick Whiting, arrested in Montgomery, Alabama, after a mass shooting on October 4 that left two people dead and 12 others wounded, was released from custody after posting a $60,000 bond. The attack took place following the Morehouse-Tuskegee college football game and reportedly involved multiple shooters entering the crowd.
Local authorities revealed that only one individual was believed to be the intended target, but the ensuing gunfire resulted in a wider casualty count as others in the area fired weapons. Whiting was charged with attempted murder after being taken into custody on October 16.
The Montgomery County District Attorney’s office subsequently filed a motion to raise Whiting’s bail, describing the current amount as “woefully inadequate” to protect public safety. The release sparked public backlash, with the city’s mayor calling the decision “a slap in the face” to victims and their families. State officials also renewed calls to expand-state bail laws to prevent violent-offense suspects from being released pending trial.