Jakiyra Metcalf said she found out afterward that the women on her camera were her upstairs neighbors.
That detail now sits at the center of a video that has drawn the University of Mississippi into a formal investigation.
Metcalf is a Black student at the university. She shares an apartment with two other Black female students. She shared the Ring camera footage online.
The recording dates to Friday night. Three white female students walk past the apartment in the clip.
Two of them make monkey noises and gestures toward the door. A third woman trails behind.
The apartment sits off campus. The dispatch from Oxford, Mississippi, carried the video to local television stations over the weekend.
The clip moved quickly. Social media users began passing it around over the weekend. On TikTok alone, it has passed 11.5 million views.
Metcalf did not wait quietly. She publicly demanded answers from the university.
The New York Post reported on the footage Nov. 8. The university then confirmed it had opened an investigation.
Shawnboda Mead, the vice chancellor for student affairs at Ole Miss, delivered the university’s response. She branded the video “deeply troubling, hurtful, and unacceptable.”
Her statement went further. She said the behavior “does not reflect our university’s values or the kind of community we strive to be every day.”
Mead said the university is actively investigating the incident.
“We are committed to following our established processes to ensure a thorough review while prioritizing the safety and well-being of our campus community,” the statement read.
One more line closed the statement. “Racism and actions that disparage people because of an aspect of their identity have no place in our campus community.”
Ole Miss said it has contacted the students the women targeted. Complex reported that the university has launched two separate investigations.
Mead’s statement did not name the three women in the video. It also did not say what discipline, if any, they could face.
This is not the first time a similar episode has reached the Ole Miss campus.
In May 2024, the Phi Delta Theta fraternity said it removed a member who was filmed making monkey noises and gestures at a Black protester during a demonstration.
The Ring camera gave this episode a permanent record. The footage, the neighbor connection and the university’s statement now form the public file on the case.
Mead’s office has committed to its established review processes. The investigation continues.
