UNC Chapel Hill In a press conference on Monday afternoon, university officials revealed that a faculty member at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill was shot and died in a campus building.
UNC Chapel Hill Police received a report of gunfire at Caudill Laboratories, a chemistry building close to campus’s center, shortly after 1 p.m. ET. When UNC Police came, they discovered a shot faculty member. According to UNC Chief of Police Brian James, nobody else was hurt.
The professor hasn’t been named because their family hasn’t been notified yet. The shooting’s purpose is still a mystery.
Kevin Guskiewicz, the chancellor of UNC Chapel Hill, remarked, “This is truly a tragic case for our campus community.” “Now is a great opportunity for the community to unite. Sadly, our country is experiencing these horrible tragedies.
The remainder of Monday and Tuesday at UNC Chapel Hill were off-limits for classes. Resources have also been given by the university to employees, faculty, and students, according to Guskiewicz.
“I’m sorry so many of you are worried about your safety at this moment. We’re here to help. I’m pleading with you to use any services you may need, and together, the community and I will work to assure your safety, Guskiewicz told a gathering of students who were present at the press conference.
At 2:31 PM ET, a suspect was located and taken into custody; however, James said that until formal charges have been filed, their identity would not be made public. The campus lockdown was lifted by UNC Chapel Hill Police at 4 p.m. after a verification process of the suspect was conducted because “we wanted to be sure we had that person in custody and it was the right person.”
We pray it never comes, but it’s a day we trained for, James added. We pledge to carry out a careful inquiry.
The detention of a second person who fit the description and was present at the scene close to the time of the shooting confused campus staff and students. We rapidly came to the conclusion that was not the suspect, according to James.
Following allegations of a “armed and dangerous” person, the University of North Carolina at UNC Chapel Hill was placed on lockdown for three hours before being granted the “all clear” Activities at 4 p.m.
James announced that the Caudill laboratories would be shut down indefinitely while evidence was gathered.
Videos posted on social media show a helicopter flying above the school and scores of police officers arriving at the location. The video also shows individuals escaping the structures.
According to Communications Specialist Tom Hughes’ comment to USA Today, “at this time, no patients from this active shooter situation have been admitted to the UNC health system.”
In response to the alleged incident, UNC hospitals in UNC Chapel Hill were also placed on lockdown. Later, regular operations at the hospitals were resumed. The rest of the day saw a closure of every outpatient clinic on the UNC Chapel Hill campus.
On August 21st, classes for this semester began.
In a faculty meeting when the notice was sent out, Beth Morocco, a professor of public health and expert on violence, told ABC11 she was there.
She told the broadcaster, “It’s normally a time of excitement and enthusiasm, so to have something like this happen is very sad.
When speaking with Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood and Eddie M. Buffaloe Jr., Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Public Safety, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper said.
The district said on X that the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, which are close to the Chapel Hill campus and opened for the first day of classes this academic year, received the “all clear” to start dismissing elementary and middle school pupils at 3:40 p.m. ET from the appropriate authorities. Due to the alleged gunshot, dismissal from their elementary and intermediate schools was postponed.
The district wrote, “We thank you in advance for your patience as we transport students home safely.”
Since the original alarm on Monday afternoon, the district has been in “secure mode,” and it was announced on X that it would not be release pupils to their families until the situation was considered safe. On Monday, all extracurricular activities for the district’s schools were postponed.