Howard University cancels graduation mid-ceremony after furious family members pound on doors, smash window

The ceremony for nursing graduates abruptly ended on Thursday during the keynote speaker’s address.

A nursing students' graduation ceremony at Howard University in Washington, DC, ended chaotically when enraged family members demanded entry, pounding on doors and even smashing a window after being locked out due to capacity limits.

Relatives of students from the College of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences crowded into the Cramton Auditorium on Thursday, but not everyone could enter before the ceremony reached full capacity and was abruptly halted during the keynote speech.

Video footage captured the tumultuous scene as dozens chanted "Let us in! Let us in!" while the ceremony was underway. Images showed a shattered glass door as attendees banged on doors and clashed with security in attempts to gain access.

Video showed people standing outside the auditorium banging on the glass windows and doors to be let in for the ceremony.

"Even before the keynote speaker, there was persistent loud banging for about 10 minutes," graduate Bria Flowers recounted to NBC Washington. "Just constant boom, boom, boom."

Mid-ceremony, school officials informed attendees that the fire department had intervened to shut down the event due to the venue's size and concerns about disruptive behavior from some relatives. However, the D.C. Fire and EMS department clarified that they did not shut down the ceremony but responded to a medical issue at the request of campus police.

Students and families were left bewildered and dismayed by the sudden turn of events. "I'm confused by how things escalated so quickly," remarked graduate Kiana Hamilton.

A window was smashed during the mid-ceremony chaos.

The incident was particularly poignant for graduate Halle Ragoonanan, who missed her high school graduation in 2020 due to the pandemic. "I didn’t get to walk," she expressed. "I graduated magna cum laude and I didn’t even get to walk."

Many students and families expressed frustration over the expenses incurred for the ceremony's cancellation. Howard University mentioned that security had to remove an individual from the premises before the incident, resulting in disruptions and eventual dispersal of guests.

Despite the disruption, some affected students participated in the university's main commencement ceremony on Saturday, with individual recognitions and awards distributed on Friday.