UPDATE: KSU student charged by grand jury in connection with gunshot incident

Quavaugntay Tyler

Quavaugntay Tyler

Madeleine Winer

A grand jury charged freshman Quavaugntay Tyler with carrying a concealed weapon, inciting a panic and tampering with evidence after he was accused of firing the shot that locked down Kent State’s main campus April 2.

Portage County Prosecutor Victor Vigluicci said Tyler could face additional charges including violating his five-year probation. The Portage County Municipal Court rescheduled Tyler’s first grand jury appearance for Monday at 10:30 a.m. at the Portage County Courthouse in Ravenna because of medical reasons. Portage County Common Pleas Court Judge Laurie Pittman will preside over the hearing.

Tyler, 24, said he has a history of seizures at his arraignment via video Monday, April 7, at the municipal courthouse. At his arraignment, Tyler asked Judge Mark Fankhauser to see his neurologist upon advice from medical professionals at Robinson Memorial Hospital and the Portage County Jail at his arragnment Monday.

Tyler, a criminology and justice studies major at Kent State, is accused of pulling the trigger of a 9 mm. handgun the night of Wednesday, April 2, during a domestic dispute with two female students in the parking lot of Bowman Hall. Tyler injured his left hand and caused a three-hour lockdown at the university’s main campus.

Before fleeing campus, Tyler left the gun with Breana Francis, a freshman exploratory major and resident of third-floor Johnson Hall. Francis, who was accused of tampering with evidence and obstruction of justice, had her case dismissed by the Portage County Prosecutor’s Office. Francis was released on a personal recognizance bond, which means she was released on the basis that she will return to court in the near future.

Francis’ attorney, Thomas DiCaudo, a criminal defense attorney in Akron, did not respond to calls and emails about the case.

The concealed weapon charge could keep Tyler incarcerated for 16 to 18 months. Fankhauser set Tyler’s bond at $40,000 on condition that he does not have further contact with Kent State.

Contact Madeleine Winer at [email protected].