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Police Give All Clear After Reported Shooting At North Carolina Campus

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Campus officials have issued an “all clear” after police responded Monday to reports of a possible shooting at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (UNC).

UNC Police released a photo of a person of interest in the shooting, an East Asian male. “If you see this person, keep your distance, put your safety first and call 911,” they warned. The person was later identified based on his LinkedIn photo as Tailei Qi, a Chinese national listed as a graduate student at UNC.

A suspect was reported to be in police custody at 3:45 p.m., according to the chancellor of UNC as reported by WSOC TV. At a press conference, the UNC police chief did not confirm the suspect’s identity and claimed that a gun had not been found, according to NewsNation.

Campus officials first warned the community just after 1 p.m. that an “armed, dangerous person” was “on or near campus.”

“Go inside immediately. Close all windows and doors. Stay inside until further notice. Follow the directions of emergency responders or university officials,” wrote UNC in an email to all students, according to a copy of the email obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation from a student. The UNC Police later tweeted that all classes were canceled for the day.

This photo shows a person of interest in today’s armed and dangerous person situation. If you see this person, keep your distance, put your safety first and call 911. pic.twitter.com/NHG5CTjby4

— UNC Police (@UNCPolice) August 28, 2023

At 4:15 p.m., AlertCarolina issued an “all clear” alert permitting students to resume “normal activities,” though they were cautioned to remain away from the Caudill Labs on campus.

The incident comes at a time when colleges and universities across the United States are beginning their fall semesters. Classes for all students at UNC began on Aug. 21, according to the university’s academic calendar on their website.

UNC hospitals told ABC News 11 that they had not received any victims from the incident as of 3:30 p.m. However, one faculty member was killed in the incident, according to CNN.

“[I have] pledged all state resources needed to capture the shooter and protect the UNC campus,” said Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina in a statement posted on Twitter.

In 2019, four people were killed and two injured at a shooting at the University of North Carolina’s Charlotte campus, which is 130 miles from UNC Chapel Hill.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated.