Students say party mob beat them up

~ Witness says suspects kicked the victims repeatedly while they were on the ground.

Two Southeast Missouri State University students, who say they were jumped and beaten by a dozen or more assailants after a party, identified some of their attackers as members of the university football team.

Shaun Johnson and Ransom Ward, both sophomores, told Cape Girardeau police they were leaving an off-campus party when they were attacked.

Ward, who has stitches below his lip, a black eye and a broken nose, said the attack occurred around 1 a.m. Sunday morning as he and Johnson left the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity lodge on South Sprigg Street.

The two were outside, approaching a spot where shuttle buses were loading to take students back to campus, when they were attacked.

"I think it was planned," Ward said. "They did it real smooth."

The attack occurred quickly, he said, with both he and Johnson being quickly knocked to the ground and kicked and stomped repeatedly.

Johnson and Ward are both from the St. Louis area. In a telephone interview from his home, Johnson said his injuries include having three teeth damaged and his mouth wired.

"Me and a guy got face-to-face with each other, and then somebody got me from behind," Johnson said. "Then everyone told me they were kicking me while I was unconscious."

The two students brought their complaint about the attack to Cape Girardeau police shortly after dawn Sunday, after they had received medical treatment, police spokesman Jason Selzer said. Detectives are working to identify the attackers, he said, but nothing had been sent to Cape Girardeau County prosecutors as of Monday afternoon.

Johnson won't return to campus until the new semester begins in January, said Sylvia Johnson, his mother. He needs medical and dental care and cannot eat solid foods, she said.

"I don't want to send him back while those boys are still walking that campus," Sylvia Johnson said.

Ward, too, said he plans to leave campus because he fears for his safety and is working to arrange to finish this semester's work in the new year.

Southeast Missouri athletic director Don Kaverman declined to comment on the specifics of the incident. Under athletic department rules, he said, any player charged with a felony is automatically suspended until the case is resolved.

Any students identified in the assault, whether athletes or not, would also face discipline by the Judicial Affairs Office, said Trae Mitten, coordinator in the office.

Final court action isn't needed for disciplinary action to take place, Mitten said. "I would not necessarily wait until a court case was over to take action," he said. "But we've got to have not only suspicion but evidence and statements."

After filing their complaints at the Cape Girardeau police station, the two young men said they went to the campus Department of Public Safety office and identified several of their assailants from a guide to the football team.

Police are using those identifications as a starting point for the investigation, Selzer said. "If there are 10 people standing around and five do the actual assault, we can't charge all 10 of them," he said. "What we are trying to do is identify who was involved and who did what. We need to do some interviews and get to the bottom of it."

A leader of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity, also known as the "Pikes," called the clash "a small incident that got a little carried away."

The party was a joint event put on by Pike and the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, said Mike Taylor, Pike vice president. Neither Johnson nor Ward was a member of either fraternity.

Taylor, who was leading a "sober crew" to keep order and ensure safety, said he saw people kicking Johnson while he was down, but could not identify them. He said he is sure, however, that no members from either fraternity were involved and that no football players took part.

Taylor said he helped find Ward and Johnson rides that got them away from the party to seek medical treatment.

Neither of the victims could give a possible motive for the assault except that they had played a pick-up game of football with some of their assailants during the spring semester and won.

The attack seemed premeditated, Ward said. During the party "I could just see them staring at me and stuff," he said.

rkeller@semissourian.com

335-6611 extension 126