LEWISTON, Maine — A Bates College student was cleared of any wrong-doing earlier this month after shooting some of his football teammates with a nerf gun back in October.
Seneca Moore, a freshman, said he and his teammates were thinking of ways to boost moral during a disappointing football season. It was during a trip to Walmart when they came across some nerf guns.
"We made a game where if we see each other, you'd tag them with the nerf gun," Moore told NEWS CENTER Maine. "We made rules that is wasn't crossing any lines with campus security."
Moore said on Oct. 14, he was in a car with two friends driving around campus. This is when two teammates starting shooting at them with the toys from the sidewalk.
"The person that was driving pulled over and parked," he said. "That's when he rolled down the window. I shot back two or three times. Then we drove back to our dorm."
Moore, who is Black, and his friends in the car, also Black and the other Hispanic, soon got an email from the college, which told them they may have violated campus rules. One rule possibly violated was having a weapon on campus.
According to Bates' Code of Student Conduct, "Weapons prohibited on campus include but are not limited to firearms, ammunition, knives, BB or pellet guns, bows, arrows, and slingshots. These items are not permitted except by permission of Bates College Campus Safety, which will register and store them. It is the responsibility of students to check with Bates College Security if there is a question of whether an item would be prohibited under this policy."
Moore said he was facing four years probation and his fate was left up to a Student Conduct Committee hearing.
"It was very stressful and anxiety-enduring," he explained. "It should never have happened in the first place over a toy."
In March, Moore said the committee agreed unanimously he did nothing wrong. Although relieved by the outcome, he thinks he was accused of wrongdoing because he’s Black.
"I definitely think racial bias played a part in this whole situation," he said.
Moore told NEWS CENTER Maine the two teammates who shot at him and his friends from the sidewalk are white and not facing any accusations, which Bates' couldn’t confirm or deny as it doesn't comment on disciplinary matters involving students.
"It felt like a message to Black students on campus saying, if you step out of line, this can happen to you," Moore said.
Throughout the process, Moore said he received support from college staff like Professor Brian Evens, who tells us in a statement:
"Let me preface my statement by stating that I am bound by a confidentiality policy regarding the hearing and a genuine fear of reprisal and retaliation. So what I will say is, I am honored to have been Seneca’s advisor through this process. His willingness to remain present throughout these past five months is a testament to his character and those who helped him become who he is and will continue to be. The existing process, as I experienced it, was extremely harmful to be a part of and beyond challenging to navigate. I am glad the outcome affirmed what was true five months ago, and I hope the takeaway is not that this proves the process works but rather clear evidence that it failed Seneca and that we as a community failed to protect our most vulnerable. As the late Civil Rights Leader and former congressman John Lewis said, 'Speak up, speak out, get in the way, get in good trouble, necessary trouble[…].' I stand committed to working with anyone to continue getting in that 'Good Trouble' to improve our systems so they align with our stated mission and vision for our community."
Moore said he has considered looking at other schools.
Bates College responded to the allegations in a statement:
"Bates College does not comment on conduct matters to protect the privacy of our students. What we will say is that we take seriously our obligations to ensure that our student conduct practices and processes are equitable and fairly administered. Racism stands in direct opposition to our community's core values and is unequivocally unacceptable on our campus."