3 new arrests, motive announced in October 2025 mass shooting at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania
Three men were arrested in the mass shooting that killed one man and injured six people on Lincoln University's homecoming night last fall, prosecutors announced Tuesday.
Karon Rollins, Makaveli Valera and William Sells have been charged with murder and related offenses in the October 2025 mass shooting at Lincoln University, Chester County District Attorney Christopher de Barrena-Sarobe said. They're in custody in Wilmington, Delaware, de Barrena-Sarobe said.
Investigators said the three men came to Lincoln's campus on Oct. 25, 2025, to carry out armed robberies, knowing there would be large crowds for homecoming.
They said the men carried out at least two robberies before the shooting, allegedly stealing chains, shoes and other items.
The suspects then allegedly confronted 20-year-old Ju'Juan Jeffers, a Lincoln student from Wilmington, prosecutors said. They said the suspects knew Jeffers.
Investigators said during an attempted robbery, a shooting broke out, killing Jeffers.
Authorities said Jeffers and a Lincoln graduate were in a group gathered in the parking lot of the International Cultural Center on campus, after the homecoming football game, when one or multiple people opened fire. Jeffers and six others were struck.
Prosecutors said part of the investigation involved what the suspects posted on social media accounts, including messages they said talked about the shooting and pictures of some of the stolen items.
"There's a bevy of text messages, photos and videos that we were able to use to be able to piece together the simple truth: that this group came to crash the party," de Barrena-Sarobe said. "They showed up to commit robbery. They killed someone in the process, and now we start that process of holding them accountable."
Rollins, Sells and Valera are all now facing multiple charges, including second-degree murder, robbery, conspiracy and more.
Rollins, who was 16 at the time of the shooting, is being charged as an adult.
Zecqueous Morgan-Thompson, who was initially arrested that night for carrying a gun without a license, had six counts of aggravated assault added to his charges. Investigators do not believe he was connected to the other three suspects.
Morgan-Thompson is in the Chester County Prison on the firearms charge, according to court records. A judge previously set his bail at $1 million.
In March 2026, Jeffers' family filed a lawsuit against the university, alleging Lincoln failed to maintain adequate security and promptly respond to warnings of potential violence.
Founded in 1854, Lincoln is the first historically Black college and university to grant degrees. The campus sits along Baltimore Pike in southern Chester County, about 45 miles outside Philadelphia.