STARKVILLE — Bond was denied Friday for three men accused of capital murder, in the March 24 shooting death of Mississippi State University student John Sanderson.

Oktibbeha County Justice Court Judge Jim Mills denied bond for Mason Perry Jones, Dontae Harvey and Trent Deundra Crump, all 21.

The three Jackson-area men are charged with shooting Sanderson twice, outside of a dorm room at Evans Hall on the MSU campus.

Evans Hall, one of the older dormitories on campus, is arranged as a quadrangle. The first floor, where the incident occurred, opens into a courtyard. The three higher floors have balconies overlooking the courtyard. The dormitory, which holds about 300 male students, has two main entrances — the north entrance accesses the first floor and the south entrance accesses the second floor, which features a game room and office, along with residents’ rooms.

“This is the first time in our school’s history that such a tragic event has occurred involving a student being shot on campus,” MSU President Mark Keenum said Sunday. “Our campus is known as a safe place, and I want to assure students, parents, faculty and staff that it continues to be safe.”

Entry to dormitory rooms is gained through three levels requiring key-card access — at exterior entrances, entrances to wings or floors and at residents’ rooms.

The shooting remains under investigation, but Mississippi State University officials earlier said the shooting was drug-related.

Jeff Clark was previously a reporter for The Dispatch.