A 20-year-old Lamar University student has been indicted on weapons and evidence-tampering charges after telling police his handgun accidentally discharged inside his dorm room, wounding his roommate in the arm. Jabarie Baker now faces a Jefferson County grand jury indictment stemming from the June shooting inside Morris Hall, one of the university's residence halls where licensed students are permitted to keep concealed handguns under certain conditions.
According to kfdm.com, the grand jury indicted Baker on charges of unlawfully carrying a weapon in a prohibited place and tampering with evidence. Baker told Lamar police that on the morning of Sunday, June 14, he was cleaning his 9-millimeter handgun when it discharged inside his dorm room at Morris Hall. The round struck a television set, pierced through his wall and into his roommate's wall, hit the headboard of a bed, and ultimately struck his roommate in the left arm, per the same account.
The indictment states that Baker took his injured roommate to a Port Arthur urgent care. On the way back from that visit, the indictment alleges, Baker got rid of the firearm in a wooded area along Highway 69 — an act prosecutors characterize as evidence tampering.
How Campus Carry Rules Apply Inside Dorms
Lamar University's concealed-carry policy restricts rooms housing Texas Academy of Leadership in the Humanities students, currently in Morris Hall, as well as specified related offices and meeting rooms, but allows non-Academy licensed residents in Morris Hall rooms to possess concealed handguns under stated conditions. Per Lamar University's published policy, license holders may carry a concealed handgun on or about their body on campus except in areas specifically restricted by university policy and state law, and open carry of handguns anywhere on campus is against the law.
For residents of other Cardinal Village halls, the university's provisions go further than simply permitting possession. Lamar's policy states that license holders who reside in other Cardinal Village residence halls are allowed to possess concealed handguns, but a gun safe approved by the Lamar University Police Department must be provided and used to store the weapon whenever it is not on or about the resident's person. Those storage and licensing details for Baker's specific situation were not addressed in the available reporting.
Campus Crime Log Shows Few Violent Incidents
The shooting stands out against the broader pattern of campus reports. A review of the Lamar University Police Department's daily crime log for the month found that most reported cases involved trespassing, with a couple involving disorderly conduct and fighting, and no violent crimes recorded on the log, the station's report notes. The department maintains an ongoing public log of daily crime and fire incidents, including an October 2026 log posted on its crime-information page.
Students Say They Still Feel Safe, With Caveats
Lamar students interviewed said the shooting and subsequent indictment had not made them feel less safe on campus overall. Morgan Gunnells, a Lamar sophomore and dorm resident, said she generally feels safe on campus but would like to see more checks during dorm move-in, saying such checks could help ensure students do not bring prohibited items onto campus.
Devan Nolen, another Lamar student, said campus safety is not bad overall but could be improved. Nolen said some situations experienced by his female friends had felt relatively threatening, and he recommended tighter security and better training for guards as potential fixes going forward.
