Faculty Member Shot And Killed In A Campus Building, Says University Of North Carolina Official

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) β€” A University of North Carolina faculty member was shot and killed in a campus building, officials said Monday.

A suspect was arrested about an hour and a half after shots were reported, UNC Police Chief Brian James said at a news conference. Students and faculty at the flagship campus had barricaded themselves in dorm rooms, offices and classrooms for hours until a lockdown was lifted.

β€œThis loss is devastating and the shooting damages the trust and safety that we so often take for granted in our campus community,” UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz said. He apologized to students who are “feeling uncertain about your safety right now.”

Authorities are not releasing the suspect’s name and formal charges have not yet been filed, James said. It’s unclear if the suspect knew the victim, who police have not yet named while they reach out to relatives, James said.

The shooting was in Caudill Laboratories, which is closed while evidence is processed, James said. He said a motive isn’t known and the weapon has not been found.

Emergency sirens sounded about two minutes after a 911 call came in reporting shots fired, James said.

There were no other deaths or injuries, James said.

About three hours after warning students to seek shelter indoors and avoid windows, the school posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, β€œAll clear. All clear. Resume normal activities.”

The school’s first alert was sent out just after 1 p.m. At 1:50 p.m., officials posted on X that the shelter-in-place order remained in effect and that it was β€œan ongoing situation.” About 40 minutes later, the school added a post saying: β€œRemain sheltered in place. This is an ongoing situation. Suspect at large.”

About two hours after the first alert went out, officers were still arriving in droves, with about 50 police vehicles at the scene and multiple helicopters circling over the school.

One officer admonished two people who tried to exit the student center, yelling β€œInside, now!” About 10 minutes later, law enforcement escorted a group of students out of one of the science buildings, with everyone walking in an orderly line with their hands up.

Shortly before 4 p.m., students and faculty started emerging from campus buildings, with the lockdown over.

The report of the shooting and subsequent lockdown paralyzed campus and parts of the surrounding town of Chapel Hill a week after classes began at the state’s flagship public university. The university, with about 20,000 undergraduate students and 12,000 graduate students, canceled Tuesday classes.

During the lockdown, a student told TV station WTVD that she had barricaded her dormitory door with her furniture. Another student, speaking softly, described hiding in fear with others in a dark bathroom.

Adrian Lanier, a sophomore computer science major, told The Associated Press that he and others sat against a wall, trying to stay as far away as possible from doors and windows. They waited for hours as rumors spread.

β€œNo one really felt safe enough to leave. I didn’t,” Lanier said.

Oliver Katz, an exchange student from Copenhagen Business School in Denmark, said some students crowded into gym locker rooms to get away from windows while others crouched in corners and sat on the floor, he said. Police evacuated them hours later.

β€œThis never happens where I’m from,” Katz said. β€œIt was intense. But I was a little surprised that other people weren’t panicking that much.”

Katz, who has only been on campus for two weeks, said he’s worried his home university will bring the exchange students home early. β€œI don’t want to leave. I like it here, and I do still feel safe.”

Noel T. Brewer, a professor of health behavior, told the AP by phone during the lockdown that he was once held at gunpoint in his mother’s jewelry store, but that Monday’s events were β€œfar more stressful.”

Speaking from his locked office where he hid with other colleagues, Brewer, a 57-year-old married father of two, said he was getting little information.

He also said he felt for anyone who might have been shot.

β€œBut even in our own building, the students who are locked down and what they’re thinking about β€” it’s just a lot. It’s a terrible situation,” said Brewer.

The nearby Chapel Hill-Carrboro City school district also locked down its schools for several hours as a precaution.

___

Associated Press writers Gary Robertson in Raleigh, North Carolina, Sarah Brumfield in Silver Spring, Maryland, Ben Finley in Norfolk, Virginia, and Sarah Rankin in Richmond, Virginia, contributed to this report.


The original story follows below

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — The University of North Carolina has ended the lockdown after an apparent shooting at its flagship campus in Chapel Hill.

About three hours after warning students to seek shelter indoors and avoid windows Monday, the school posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, β€œAll clear. All clear. Resume normal activities.”

Although school officials and local authorities didn’t provide details about the alleged shooting on campus, Gov. Roy Cooper posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he had spoken to the Orange County sheriff and the state’s public safety secretary and β€œpledged all state resources needed to capture the shooter and protect the UNC campus.”

Cooper’s office declined to provide further information, saying it didn’t want to get ahead of what local authorities were saying. School officials said as soon as they had verified information, they would share it.

UNC Police posted a photo of a “person of interest in today’s armed and dangerous person situation. If you see this person, keep your distance, put your safety first and call 911.

Authorities at UNC Chapel Hill are telling students to remain sheltered in place as they search for a suspect after shots were fired on campus.

Police activity has been reported near Stadium Drive and South Road. That area has been blocked by numerous police. As of 2pm, UNC officials are asking students and staff who are on campus to shelter in place and if you are not on campus to stay away.

Students have been told to shelter in place and avoid windows. This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

The following page from UNC Police’s website is trending online. The link has information for students so they know what to do when there is an active shooter and/or critical incident response on campus:

If someone wielding a gun walks into your building, would you try to:

  1. Get out of the building right away
  2. Find a safe place to hide
  3. Confront the person?

The correct answer actually depends on the circumstances. And key to quickly evaluating the situation and determining the best response is a survival mindset – one in which you take responsibility for your personal safety.

That’s the message officers from UNC-Chapel Hill Police are giving during training sessions to groups, departments, and residence communities throughout the campus over the past two years.

What You Should Do

  • Assess what is happening and get out of the room or area right away if you can. If you are walking outside, keep walking and find protection.
  • Once out of harm’s way, call 911 to let the police know what is going on.
  • If you are unable to get out, you should hide out – but not in a place in which you could be trapped. Lock the door, be quiet and mute your cell phone.
  • Make sure you spread out so everyone is not gathered in a small space. That makes it too easy for a shooter to target a lot of people.
  • If you are in the same room as a shooter, you might have to confront the person. (If you do, however, become more aggressive than ever: throw things at the shooter, yell, whatever it takes. Tell yourself, β€œI will survive.”
  • When law enforcement officials arrive on the scene, be compliant and calmly provide details. Raise your hands, spread your fingers and drop to the floor. Don’t run toward the police officers.
  • If you are in a hostage situation, you should not be aggressive. Instead, be patient and compliant and let the police negotiate.

The training, Shots Fired on Campus, is part of Carolina’s ongoing campus safety efforts. It is based on a DVD called β€œShots Fired: When Lightning Strikes” that was produced by the Center for Personal Protection and Safety. The training is available for any campus group that requests it.

To request training from UNC Police, contact Sgt.Β James DavidΒ at 919-966-3230 or dhjames@psafety.unc.edu.