Police interview beating witnesses

Cape Girardeau police said Tuesday they are vigorously investigating an attack on two Southeast Missouri State University students at a weekend fraternity party.

Cpl. Don Perry, the detective conducting the inquiry, had eight interviews with potential witnesses Tuesday, police spokesman Jason Selzer said.

"This is a priority," Selzer said. Perry "doesn't think it is going to drag out that long."

Shaun Johnson and Ransom Ward, both sophmores, told police they were jumped early Sunday morning by more than a dozen people, including several Southeast football players, outside a party at the Pi Kappa Alpha lodge on South Sprigg Street.

Both young men required emergency room treatment. No arrests have been made in the attack. Both Ward and Johnson said they have been providing police with the names of people who witnessed the attack and can identify their assailants.

Sylvia Johnson, mother of Shaun Johnson, said Tuesday that her son will not return to campus until his attackers are punished. Ward, meanwhile, was in St. Louis Tuesday but plans to return to campus for final exams. "I've got to take my finals and get my grades," he said. "That is why I am in school."

Ward had originally planned to ask for an time extension to complete his semester coursework.

Johnson was knocked unconscious, stomped and kicked by several assailants, witnesses reported. He is at home in St. Louis receiving medical and dental treatments, said Sylvia Johnson.

Shaun Johnson won't return to campus until January, Sylvia Johnson said, and then only if the attackers have been disciplined or charged.

"They really did a job on him," she said. "I want the guys that did this to be suspended, put off campus, and I want the medical bills paid for."

The attack occurred early Sunday morning outside the Pi Kappa Alpha, or Pike, lodge, as the party was breaking up. Johnson and Ward said they were preparing to board a shuttle bus for the ride back to campus when they were surrounded.

Both required medical attention. Ward suffered a busted lip, broken nose, black eye and a cut on his chin that required several stitches. Johnson had three teeth damaged, a black eye and has been complaining about headaches, Sylvia Johnson said.

"Every day he gets a little bit better," she said.

The Dean of Students, Dr. Irene Ferguson, will work with both students and their instructors to arrange late exams or other accomodations, said Anne Hayes, Southeast spokeswoman.

"We don't want anyone to feel they are threatened or intimidated on our campus," Hayes said.

Another potential victim of an assault at the party has been identified, Selzer said. Investigators believe that another person at the party was struck in the head with a beer bottle but are unsure if the two incidents are related.

The party was a joint event hosted by Pikes and the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.

After receiving medical treatment at Southeast Missouri Hospital, Ward and Johnson reported the attack to police. They said they identified several of their attackers from photos in the annual football team media guide while making a report at the Southeast Department of Public Safety office.

rkeller@semissourian.com

335-6611, ext. 126