A college campus in North Carolina is waking up on Tuesday gripped by fear, grief and many unanswered questions. Just days into the start of a new term, students and faculty members at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found themselves hunkering down inside classrooms and leaping from first floor windows as an active shooting situation unfolded on site. Inside the science building, a faculty member was found shot dead. Following a brief moment where the wrong person was arrested – an unsuspecting individual who missed the shelter-in-place alerts – campus police confirmed that the suspect had been taken into custody around 10 minutes from the scene. Harrowingly, the horror was a somewhat familiar sight for the UNC community coming four years after a mass shooting at the Charlotte campus left two dead and four injured. Officials are yet to release the identities of both the suspect and the victim in this latest attack, with much of the details of what happened and why still unclear. Here’s what we do know so far about the shooting The shooting The shooting unfolded at around 1pm local time on Monday when UNC Police responded to a 911 call reporting gunfire at the science lab in the heart of the campus. Law enforcement arrived on the scene around two minutes after the call came in and plunged the campus into lockdown, warning that “an armed and dangerous person” was at large. Officials later confirmed that a faculty member had been shot dead inside a campus building. Soon after, the UNC Police released an image of a person of interest in the case, warning the public that “if you see this person, keep your distance, put your safety first and call 911”. Chilling footage shows terrified students and staff members barricaded inside classrooms and offices for fear that an active shooter was at large. Around three hours on from the shooting, police confirmed that a suspect was arrested near a residential area 10 minutes away from campus. The gun is yet to be recovered, police said. The lockdown was eventually lifted at around 4.15pm. The suspect Neither the victim nor the suspect have been publicly identified by officials. It is not clear if they knew each other prior to the shooting or if the attack was targeted or random. At a press conference on Monday evening, police would not confirm whether or not the person arrested was the same man who was identified as a person of interest. Instead, police said that they would release the suspect’s identity once charges had been filed. The victim’s identity will also be released once next of kin is identified. The motive also remains unknown at this time. UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor Kevin M Guskiewicz said in a statement that a hotline and other mental health resources were on offer for staff and students affected by the shooting. “The students are certainly traumatised,” he said. “But I want to commend those who were inside the building ensuring everyone’s safety.” Classes have been canceled through Tuesday. Read More UNC shooting – latest: Motive remains unknown after shooter kills faculty member in Chapel Hill Suspect's motive unclear in campus shooting that killed 1 at UNC Chapel Hill, police say A white gunman killed three Black shoppers at Dollar General. Then police uncovered ‘the diary of a madman’
A college campus in North Carolina is waking up on Tuesday gripped by fear, grief and many unanswered questions.
Just days into the start of a new term, students and faculty members at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found themselves hunkering down inside classrooms and leaping from first floor windows as an active shooting situation unfolded on site.
Inside the science building, a faculty member was found shot dead.
Following a brief moment where the wrong person was arrested – an unsuspecting individual who missed the shelter-in-place alerts – campus police confirmed that the suspect had been taken into custody around 10 minutes from the scene.
Harrowingly, the horror was a somewhat familiar sight for the UNC community coming four years after a mass shooting at the Charlotte campus left two dead and four injured.
Officials are yet to release the identities of both the suspect and the victim in this latest attack, with much of the details of what happened and why still unclear.
Here’s what we do know so far about the shooting
The shooting
The shooting unfolded at around 1pm local time on Monday when UNC Police responded to a 911 call reporting gunfire at the science lab in the heart of the campus.
Law enforcement arrived on the scene around two minutes after the call came in and plunged the campus into lockdown, warning that “an armed and dangerous person” was at large.
Officials later confirmed that a faculty member had been shot dead inside a campus building.
Soon after, the UNC Police released an image of a person of interest in the case, warning the public that “if you see this person, keep your distance, put your safety first and call 911”.
Chilling footage shows terrified students and staff members barricaded inside classrooms and offices for fear that an active shooter was at large.
Around three hours on from the shooting, police confirmed that a suspect was arrested near a residential area 10 minutes away from campus.
The gun is yet to be recovered, police said.
The lockdown was eventually lifted at around 4.15pm.
The suspect
Neither the victim nor the suspect have been publicly identified by officials.
It is not clear if they knew each other prior to the shooting or if the attack was targeted or random.
At a press conference on Monday evening, police would not confirm whether or not the person arrested was the same man who was identified as a person of interest.
Instead, police said that they would release the suspect’s identity once charges had been filed. The victim’s identity will also be released once next of kin is identified.
The motive also remains unknown at this time.
UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor Kevin M Guskiewicz said in a statement that a hotline and other mental health resources were on offer for staff and students affected by the shooting.
“The students are certainly traumatised,” he said.
“But I want to commend those who were inside the building ensuring everyone’s safety.”
Classes have been canceled through Tuesday.
Read More
UNC shooting – latest: Motive remains unknown after shooter kills faculty member in Chapel Hill
Suspect's motive unclear in campus shooting that killed 1 at UNC Chapel Hill, police say
A white gunman killed three Black shoppers at Dollar General. Then police uncovered ‘the diary of a madman’
