What we know about the shooting at UNC-Chapel Hill after arrest of suspect

Avi Bajpai
·4 min read
9

Officials at UNC-Chapel Hill placed the campus on lockdown Monday afternoon while police searched for an armed and dangerous person reported just after 1 p.m.

Police gave an all-clear at 4:14 p.m., more than three hours after the initial alert of an armed person on campus was sent out to students, faculty and others, advising to shelter in place.

Shortly after 2:30 p.m., UNC police released a photo of a person of interest in the ongoing situation and advised people on campus to keep their distance if they saw the individual, and call 911.

During a news conference Monday evening, university Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz confirmed that a member of the UNC faculty had died in the shooting. UNC Police Chief Brian James said a male suspect was taken into custody and said local law enforcement as well as the FBI were on scene at Caudill Labs, the location of the shooting, collecting evidence.

People console one another after being released from a lockdown area on South Road after a report of an armed and dangerous person on the University of North Carolina campus on Monday, August 28. 2023 in Chapel Hill, N.C.
People console one another after being released from a lockdown area on South Road after a report of an armed and dangerous person on the University of North Carolina campus on Monday, August 28. 2023 in Chapel Hill, N.C.

Timeline of ‘active assailant situation’ on UNC campus

1:02 p.m.: UNC is notified of shots being fired inside Caudill Labs, according to the university.

1:03 p.m.: An initial alert from UNC states that campus police have reported an “armed and dangerous person on or near campus.”

Students walk along South Road after a report of an armed and dangerous person on the University of North Carolina campus on Monday, August 28. 2023 in Chapel Hill, N.C.
Students walk along South Road after a report of an armed and dangerous person on the University of North Carolina campus on Monday, August 28. 2023 in Chapel Hill, N.C.

2:04 p.m.: A follow-up alert states that the campus remains on lockdown “as the active assailant situation continues.” The alert advises that anyone on campus should stay sheltered in place, and anyone off campus should stay away from the campus.

2:31 p.m.: Officers take a suspect into custody, according to university Chief of Police Brian James.

2:35 p.m.: UNC police release a photo on social media of a person of interest in the ongoing situation. Police say that if anyone sees the individual in the photo, they should keep their distance and put their safety first, and call 911.

2:43 p.m.: Gov. Roy Cooper says in a tweet that he’s spoken with Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood and N.C. Department of Public Safety Secretary Eddie Buffaloe, and has pledged all the state resources that are needed to “capture the shooter and protect the UNC campus.”

3:14 p.m.: Another alert from the university advises everyone on campus to remain sheltered in place until an all-clear is given. The alert says all classes and events have been canceled for the rest of the day.

3:51 p.m.: UNC police continue to advise people on campus to stay sheltered in place.

4:14 p.m.: UNC police give the all clear, advising in an alert that people on campus can resume normal activities.

4:33 p.m.: Officials lift guidance to shelter in place but advise people to stay away from the university’s Caudill Labs.

Heavily armed North Carolina State Troopers walk down South Road toward the Bell Tower on the University of North Carolina campus after a report of an armed and dangerous person on Monday, August 28. 2023 in Chapel Hill, N.C.
Heavily armed North Carolina State Troopers walk down South Road toward the Bell Tower on the University of North Carolina campus after a report of an armed and dangerous person on Monday, August 28. 2023 in Chapel Hill, N.C.

5:20 p.m.: UNC officials confirm that shots were fired during Monday’s active shooter situation, stating in an update that the university was notified of shots being fired inside Caudill Labs at 1:02 p.m. A suspect was taken into custody at around 2:38 p.m. The update advises that James and Guskiewicz will hold a news conference at 5:45 p.m.

5:30 p.m.: More than a dozen FBI agents arrive at the Wilson Library, which stands next to Caudill Labs.

A large bullet hole has shattered a window to the right of the library’s north entrance. Police officers are seen patrolling the edges of the building, searching bushes and storm drains with flashlights and a K-9 dog.

6 p.m. Guskiewicz confirms during a news conference that one UNC faculty member died in Monday’s shooting. Guskiewicz says the shooting has damaged the “trust and safety that is taken for granted in this community,” and thanks UNC police and other law enforcement for their response.

James, the police chief, says that officers took the suspect into custody at 2:31 p.m. and verified his identity and secured the rest of the campus before giving the all-clear nearly two hours later.

James says officials aren’t naming the suspect since he has yet to be formally charged. James also says that another person was detained by police based on the description provided to them of the suspect, as well as the person’s proximity to the location of the shooting, but that police quickly determined the person was not the suspect.

Josh Shaffer contributed to this report.