Contact:
Eric Christopher Webb, DDiv., CPLC
Director of Communications
/Editor of The Sphinx
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
Cell: 443-635-5911
October 16, 2023
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Mourns and Condemns Tragic Shooting Death of Alpha Brother at Jackson State University
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. mourns and condemns the tragic shooting death of Brother Jaylen Burns at Jackson State University last night. Brother Burns, a Spring 2023 Delta Phi Chapter initiate, was an industrial technology major from Chicago and a campus leader.
“Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. offers our deepest prayers and condolences to the Burns family, the entire Fraternity, the Delta Phi Chapter, and friends and fellow students at Jackson State University,” said Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. General President Dr. Willis L. Lonzer, III. “Brother Burns was an active campus leader who has been praised by the Fraternity, fellow students, and even Jackson State University Acting President Dr. Elayne Hayes-Anthony. While every life has value, it is especially heartbreaking when we mourn the death of someone who is trying to make a difference and be of service on campus and in the lives of others.”
Currently, the Jackson Police Department and the Jackson State University Department of Public Safety, who are investigating the fatal shooting, have not released any other details.
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About Alpha Phi Alpha
The Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established for African American men, was founded on December 4, 1906, at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY and is headquartered in Baltimore, MD. The Fraternity has long stood at the forefront of the African American community’s fight for civil rights through Alpha men such as Martin Luther King, Jr., Adam Clayton Powell, Thurgood Marshall, Paul Robeson, Andrew Young, Edward Brooke and Cornel West. The fraternity, through its more than 720 college and alumni chapters and general-organization members, serves communities in the United States, Africa, Europe, Asia and the Caribbean. Visit us at www.apa1906.net and follow us on all platforms @apa1906network.