UNC faculty member killed in campus shooting and a suspect is in custody, police say
A faculty member was killed by a shooter at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, police said Monday.
Shortly after 1 p.m. EDT, UNC Police received a 911 call about shots fired at the Caudill Labs building on campus, UNC Police Chief Brian James said at a news conference Monday evening. The Caudill Labs building, close to the center of campus, houses a chemistry department.
Upon arrival, police discovered that a faculty member had been shot and killed. James said police would not be offering any further details about the victim as they work to contact the victim's family members.
The faculty member was the only fatality in the shooting, and no other injuries were reported, James said.
Police identified a suspect and he was taken into custody at 2:31 p.m. Police will not release the name of the suspect until formal charges are filed, James said.
After the suspect was apprehended, a campus-wide lockdown that had been prompted by the shooting remained in place while police confirmed the suspect's identity and conducted a search for the weapon, which has still not been located, James said.
Police gave the all-clear to students at UNC shortly after 4 p.m., but said, "Remain away from Caudil Labs."
It is still too early to know the motive for the shooting, and the investigation is expected to last several weeks.
UNC Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz offered his condolences to the family of the deceased faculty member.
"I am devastated and saddened by today's shooting in one of our campus buildings, a place where we conduct our important work of teaching, mentoring and research every day. This shooting damages the trust and safety that we so often take for granted on our campus," Guskiewicz said in a statement.
Chapel Hill Mayor Pam Hemminger said Monday was a "sad day" for the campus and town.
"We are heartbroken for the UNC students, faculty, and staff whose sense of safety on their beautiful campus was shattered by the day's events and for those children, teachers, and staff who had to lock down on their first day back to our local schools," Hemminger said in a statement.
Classes and campus events at UNC were canceled for the rest of Monday and all of Tuesday.
Other schools in the area announced at 3:40 p.m. EDT that they had also received the all-clear to allow students to leave. Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools in North Carolina wrote on social media that the "dismissal process will now begin for elementary & middle school students. High schools will dismiss at their normal time."
Gov. Roy Cooper said in a statement that he has spoken to authorities and pledged all available resources to help find the suspected shooter.
"I have spoken with Orange County Sheriff Blackwood and Dept. of Public Safety Secretary Buffaloe and pledged all stat resources to capture the shooter and protect the UNC campus," he wrote on social media.