A University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill faculty member was shot and killed Monday in the country’s latest school shooting, where students were seen jumping out of a buildings. The suspect was captured and is in custody.
The shooting began around 1:00 PM and the suspect was apprehended around 2:30 PM, according to the school’s chancellor, Kevin Guskiewicz, which matches local reporting.Guskiewicz says the “all-clear” was given by police around 4:15 PM, which UNC police confirmed.
“I am grieved to report that one of our faculty members was killed in this shooting. We are waiting for confirmation that the next of kin has been contacted before we share more information,” Guskiewicz also said.
WRAL’s Mark Boyle posted video of students jumping out of a building, apparently from a second-floor window.
“Students and faculty were forced to shelter-in-place as heavily armed cops traversed the school in search of the suspect, whose photo, shared by authorities, matches the online UNC profile of [a] graduate student,” The Daily Beast reported. NCRM is not publishing the suspect’s name, which has not been confirmed by police.
The FBI has been assisting with the incident, NBC News reported.
Former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ), who was shot in the head and severely injured during a 2011 assassination attempt, co-founded Giffords.org, which works to reduce gun violence.
“My heart aches for students at UNC Chapel Hill and the nearby schools that were in lockdown,” Giffords wrote on social media. “This generation lives with the threat of gun violence every day. Half of all young people report thinking about a mass shooting each week. We cannot continue like this. We need change.”
Giffords also reposted this post from Mary-Margaret Barbee, who says she is a student at UNC-Chapel Hill.
“As a UNC Chapel Hill student who is currently still sheltering in place with no updates other than the sound of sirens and helicopters, thoughts and prayers aren’t enough. This shouldn’t happen. We shouldn’t have to go to class in fear of our lives. We need legislative change.”
NBC affiliate WYFF’s report:
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