Jakell Mitchell, redshirt football player and freshman in sociology, was the victim of a shooting at Tiger Lodge, early Sunday morning Dec. 14.
This is not the first time Tiger Lodge, formerly known as University Heights, was the location of a shooting.
Former football players Ed Christian and Ladarious Phillips, and DeMario Pitts of Opelika were the victims of a shooting at the same complex June 9, 2012.
It may not be the last if procedures and protocol do not change immediately.
A Tiger Lodge employee said no one was able to speak with the Becky Hardy, editor-in-chief, at noon Sunday, Dec. 14, and said they did not know when someone would be able to talk.
Other Plainsman reporters were not able to get a comment for the complex all day.
The Auburn Police Division arrived at the scene within minutes and responded to reporter's calls.
Tiger Lodge does have security cameras throughout the complex, which were viewed at the Desmonte Leonard trial as evidence, but cameras located throughout the complex are not enough to protect the residents.
It is understandable the police cannot be everywhere at once, so this is not a target at the police division.
Also while Tiger Lodge can't be responsible for larger cultural issues surrounding guns or individuals who choose to act irresponsibility, it can and should take precautions against such possibilities.
Two shootings in as many years is proof enough.
Tiger Lodge said they are the "best in student living," on their Facebook and Twitter pages, but that is not reflected in what has happened within the gates of the complex.
A employee at Tiger Lodge said the apartment complex does perform background checks on their residents.
The complex could perform a more thorough background check on their residents, but this still will not eliminate people from coming into the complex and shooting.
According to Tiger Lodge's Facebook page, it does have security guards roam the complex at night, but to make sure this doesn't ever happen again the complex needs to increase security guard patrol throughout the day.
Many residents commented on Tiger Lodge's Facebook statement about Mitchell's death saying they have never seen or rarely seen a security guard in the complex.
This needs to change.
Security on patrol throughout the day could limit fatal interactions between people in the complex.
Safety needs to be the top priority for Tiger Lodge and every other apartment complex in Auburn.
At this point it seems like the only thing that has changed about the Longleaf apartment complex is the name.
The editorial staff is calling for the owners and managers of Tiger Lodge to step up their safety procedures and put more safety measures in place.
Auburn does not need to lose another family member.
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