University of North Carolina faculty member killed in fatal campus shooting

A tragic incident unfolded on the campus of the University of North Carolina on Monday, resulting in the death of a faculty member due to gun violence. A suspect was arrested, leading to the elimination of the immediate threat by late afternoon. “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. Campus authorities alerted the police about gunshots being fired at the Chapel Hill, North Carolina campus. The chancellor confirmed that the suspected individual was under arrest. Approximately two hours after the initial alert, the police issued a notification declaring the campus to be safe and free from any ongoing danger. Throughout the standoff, the campus was heavily guarded by law enforcement, as depicted in media coverage of the incident. Before the suspect was arrested, law enforcement had circulated the image of the male suspect through the social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter). At that point, he was considered a “person of interest in today’s armed and dangerous person situation.” As of now, the identities of both the deceased faculty member and the arrested suspect have not been disclosed by the authorities. “In response, we have canceled classes and all campus events for the rest of the day on Monday, Aug. 28 and Tuesday, Aug. 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 earlier on Monday he had “pledged all state resources needed” to protect the university campus. The university had asked those on campus to stay sheltered in place for much of the afternoon while the suspect was still at large. The shooting took place in the campus’ Caudill Laboratories. With inputs from agencies