UNC-Chapel Hill faculty member killed in shooting that sent campus into lockdown

A University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill faculty member was killed Monday in a shooting that prompted a campuswide lockdown while officials searched for an “armed and dangerous person,” university officials said.

A suspect was captured about an hour and a half after the shooting at Caudill Laboratories, and an all-clear was issued for the campus about two hours after that.

No other injuries were reported, school officials said at a briefing Monday afternoon.

“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,” UNC Chancellor Kevin M. Guskiewicz said in a letter to the university community. “This shooting damages the trust and safety that we so often take for granted on our campus. We will work to rebuild that trust and safety.”

Tuesday’s classes have been canceled.

The faculty member was not publicly identified, pending notification of family.

And officials did not name the suspect because formal charges have yet to be filed.

University police have not detailed the relationship between the victim and the shooter or indicated any kind of possible motive.

UNC Police Chief Brian James said the investigation, which the FBI has joined, will take several weeks.

“We certainly want the opportunity to interview the suspect,” he said. “To actually have the suspect in custody gives us an opportunity to figure out the why. And even the how, and also helps us to uncover a motive and … really just why this happened today.”

The gun has not been recovered, James said.

UNC students were first alerted to an armed and dangerous person on or near campus shortly after 1 p.m.

At 2:24 p.m., the university issued an alert to remain sheltered in place because a suspect was at large.

When campus police released a photo of an unnamed person of interest at 2:35 p.m., they warned, “If you see this person, keep your distance, put your safety first and call 911.”

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said in a statement that officials “are taking precautions to protect campus safety following today’s shooting.”

“This is a tragic way to start a new semester and the state will provide any assistance necessary to support the UNC community,” Cooper said.