University of Kentucky student shot dead near campus

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- A University of Kentucky student has died after being shot early Friday, police told CBS Lexington affiliate WKYT-TV.

Police have not released the victim's name but say the student is in his or her early 20s.

No arrests have been made but police say they have a person of interest in the case.

Police report they responded to a call for shots fired around 3 a.m. and found the victim lying a city street.

They say a search is underway for a male suspect who was wearing a red hoodie. He was last seen leaving the area in a maroon mini-van, possibly a Chrysler Town and Country.

Officers think the student was gunned down during a robbery. A friend, who was with the victim, escaped and found two people who in turn called police.

The friend told them the mini-van pulled up, then two men jumped out and confronted them.

The witness says the men grabbed his watch and, when he tried to throw his wallet at them and run, he heard gunshots. He wasn't injured.

The men who called police say they thought the gunfire was fireworks until the survivor ran up to them.

"The look on his face was just like, incredible. He was in so much shock. He was asking us if like, he could trust us, 'cuz he was just scared of anything at that point in time. That was his friend who got shot at so it's terrifying," Thomas O'Mara, who helped the victims, said.

Police say they recovered a weapon nearby but aren't sure if it's connected to the shooting.

The University of Kentucky issued an urgent alert for students to avoid the Transylvania Park area around 3 a.m. Some 40 minutes later, the school said, "The emergency condition has passed, all conditions are normal and you may safely resume your regularly scheduled activity."