‘Two people were killed and four others wounded, three critically, in a shooting on Tuesday at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, officials said.
Police said one suspect, who some local media reported was a student at the school, was taken into custody following the rampage on the last day of classes for the academic year. Final exams were scheduled for next week.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department spokeswoman Sandy D’Elosua said the individual who was arrested was believed to have acted alone.
Television station WBTV in Charlotte reported that gunfire erupted about 5:45pm (21:45 GMT) near the university’s Kennedy Hall administrative building, and that one person had been arrested.
“We are in shock to learn of an active shooter situation on the campus of UNC Charlotte. My thoughts are with the families of those who lost their lives, those injured, the entire UNCC community and the courageous first responders who sprang into action to help others,” Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles said on Twitter.
Susan Harden, a professor of education on campus since 2011 who also serves on the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners, expressed disbelief at the gun violence.
“This is a day at the end of the semester, when students are doing performances, presentations … this is just the worst thing,” said Harden said at the police staging area. “Our campus is so safe. So safe. I’ve never felt unsafe on our campus. I’m heartbroken.”
She added, “I’ve got a student who’s barricaded in her dorm right now.”
Mecklenburg Emergency Management Services, an independent agency that handles emergency services for the county, confirmed on Twitter that two people were dead on the scene and that four others were taken to a hospital, two of them with life-threatening injuries.
A spokesman, Lester Oliva, also confirmed the casualty toll.’
Read more: Two dead, four injured in shooting at University of North Carolina, Charlotte
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