Threats close NC community college days after deadly shooting

By Colleen Jenkins WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (Reuters) - A North Carolina community college closed on Friday after receiving telephoned threats that followed the shooting death of one of its employees by a former student. The president of Wayne Community College in Goldsboro said the closing was a precautionary measure and a suspect had been identified. "The college was never in any danger today," said president Kay Albertson, adding that earlier reports about a bomb threat were incorrect. Law enforcement officials were taking the threat seriously, however. Police officers conducted foot patrols on the campus, located about 50 miles (80 km) southeast of Raleigh, and state and federal authorities were helping investigate, said Kim Best, spokeswoman for the city of Goldsboro. Authorities did not reveal the exact nature of the threat, but Best said they were investigating "a threat of violence." The community college will remain closed for the weekend to ensure the safety of employees and students, according to its website. On Monday, the school's print shop director, Ron Lane, was shot and killed in a campus building by Kenneth Morgan Stancil III, a former work-study student he had supervised. Stancil, 20, fled to Florida, where he was taken into custody on Tuesday after being found sleeping on a beach. He has since been charged with murder and described himself in an interview with WRAL News as a neo-Nazi who hates gays. Lane, 44, was gay. Police have said they are investigating the shooting as a possible hate crime. An event set for Friday at the school to honor Lane will be rescheduled, the college said. (Reporting by Colleen Jenkins; Editing by Alan Crosby and Dan Grebler)