Faculty member believed killed, suspect in custody after shooting at UNC at Chapel Hill
An alleged gunman was arrested near the University of North Carolina campus Monday after a faculty member was shot dead and the school was placed on lockdown, officials said.
The campus was locked down at around 1 p.m. after UNC Police received reports of shots fired in Caudill Laboratories, UNC Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz said in a message to the school community.
An alert was quickly blasted out, instructing students and staff to stay inside and avoid windows during the unnerving ordeal that lasted a few hours.
Responding officers found the slain faculty member, who was not identified, UNC Police Chief Brian James said during a press conference. No other injuries were reported.
A suspect was arrested at around 2:30 p.m. with the campus receiving the all clear at around 4:15 p.m., the school said.
While authorities would not identify the suspect during the press conference, sources told WRAL a person of interest in the case was identified as UNC student Tailei Qi. Images from the station showed a man placed in handcuffs sitting on a curb in front of a driveway in a residential area near the campus and also being put inside a police car.
‘Armed and dangerous’
During the emergency, UNC Police released an image of the person of interest they were seeking in the “armed and dangerous situation.”
“If you see this person, keep your distance, put your safety first and call 911,” police tweeted.
“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,” Guskiewicz said in his message.
“This shooting damages the trust and safety that we so often take for granted on our campus.”
A motive has not yet been determined, James said. It’s also unknown what, if any, relationship the victim and suspect had. The weapon involved has not been located, he said.
“We want to ensure that we gather every piece to determine what happened today and why it happened,” James said, warning the investigation would take several weeks.
Tension on campus was palpable during the lockdown, with officers arriving in droves and about 50 police vehicles and multiple helicopters reaching the campus.
At one point, an officer yelled at two people who tried to leave the student center during the situation.
‘Inside, now!’
“Inside, now!” the officer screamed.
About 10 minutes later, authorities escorted a group of students out of one of the science buildings. Everyone was walking in line with their hands up.
One freshman told WTVD he was hunkered down with classmates in a dining hall.
“There were some people who were extremely nervous, kind of breaking down, and then most of us were on our phones checking the news, we actually tuned into the police radio, trying to figure out what’s happening,” the student said.
Sophomore Adrian Lanier said he and others sat against a wall — far away from doors and windows — for hours as rumors spread.
With Wires
