A faculty member at the University of North Carolina was shot dead in a shooting on campus, officials said, adding a suspect was arrested and the threat was cleared.
“I’m devastated the UNC (University of North Carolina) community lost a faculty member in an act of violence on campus,” the institution’s chancellor, Kevin Guskiewicz, said in a statement.
Police were notified of shots being fired at the Chapel Hill, North Carolina, campus early Monday afternoon, the chancellor said. He added the suspect was apprehended and taken into custody.
Police issued an “all clear” for the campus around two hours later and said there was no further immediate threat. During the stand-off, there was heavy police presence around the campus.
Police had earlier released the male suspect’s image when he was not yet in custody and described him as a “person of interest in today’s armed and dangerous person situation.”
The authorities did not reveal the identities of the deceased faculty member and the suspect.
“In response, we have canceled classes and all campus events for the rest of the day on Monday, August 28, and Tuesday, August 29,” the chancellor added.
The university has a student population of about 32,000, along with about 4,100 faculty and 9,000 staff members. North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper said he had “pledged all state resources needed” to protect the university campus.
