University of Virginia Library

Campus Battle Kills
Two College Students

By DREW GARDNER

Two students were killed
yesterday morning in a ten
minute battle between
approximately 150 sheriff
deputies and demonstrating
students at predominantly
black Southern University in
Baton Rouge, Louisiana

The battle broke out at the
culmination of three to four
weeks of internal strife at the
university. Demonstrating
students demanded the
resignation of president Leon
Netterville, and greater student
control of university life.

Deputies and Dogs

They overtook the
university administration
building at about 8:30 a.m.
yesterday. The deputies, many
leading dogs, swept into the
8,400 student campus, and at
about 10:30 a.m. Sheriff Al
Amis delivered the ultimatum
to the students that they
evacuate the building in five
minutes. Mr. Amis estimated
that 2,000 students were in
and around the building.

A smoke grenade and
makeshift fragmentation
bombs were then reported to
have been thrown from the
building. The deputies moved
in and at the end of the
ensuing ten minute skirmish,
two students lay dead.

East Baton Rouge coroner
Hyoplite Landry later
confirmed that the two black
students had been shot.
According to Mr. Amis, none
of his deputies had fired
anything but tear gas into the
crowd. The size or direction of
the fatal projectiles has not yet
been determined.

East Baton Rouge Mayor
W.W. Dumas said yesterday
"Two students have been shot
and there may be more, if
necessary... We are going to
take back over the
administration building at any
cost." Deputies quickly
regained control of the
building after the gunfire that
left the two students dead,
United Press International
reported.

There was no court order to
demand the students'
evacuation of the building,
Baton Rouge deputy reported
yesterday. The ultimatum was
issued on the authority of the
mayor, the sheriff, and the
superintendent of Louisiana's
state police.

The deputy refused to
speculate on the possibility of
the students having guns, but
Mr. Amis reported that the
gunfire seemed to have come
from hand guns.

'Calm But Tense'

The deputy estimated the
crowd at about 300 to 400 in
contrast to the original
estimate of 2,000 made by Mr.
Amis. He also said that hours
after the incident the
atmosphere at the university
was "calm but tense" and that
state police still occupied the
campus.

Louisiana Governor Ediwn
Edwards has alerted the
National Guard, and called out
700 troops to restore order to
the Baton Rouge campus,
which he has ordered cleared
and closed. He has also formed
a committee to look into the
problems and the requests of
the students.

A fire was determined to
have been started in the
university's Registrar's office,
but little damage is reported.

Baton Rouge campus
President Netterville has
repeatedly refused the
students' demands for his
resignation, according to a
spokesman. The occupation of
the administration building
there was the concurrent
outcome of this refusal to meet
student demands.

According to UPI, Mr.
Dumas said that "Our prime
concern is to get the university
back where it belongs–in the
hands of the administrators."

He is also reported as stating
that "There is a price you pay
for appeasement.... And if you
appease people you can expect
the worst."