Live: Officials speak about killing of two campus officers at Bridgewater College

BRIDGEWATER — The fatal encounter began at 1:20 p.m. on Tuesday when two campus officers responded to a call for a suspicious man on the grounds of Memorial Hall at Bridgewater College.

"He was in a location that he shouldn't have been in," said Corinne Geller, a spokesperson for the Virginia State Police, during an evening press conference at the college.

Geller said the suspect was startled after being seen by some campus staffers. The two officers responded and after an interaction, they were allegedly shot by the suspect. He then fled on foot, Geller said.

Campus Police Officer John Painter and Campus Safety Officer J.J. Jefferson were identified as the victims, school officials said. They died at the scene.

A campus safety officer is not armed, according to the school.

"Bridgewater is a family, and I don't use that term lightly," said Bridgewater President David Bushman, who also spoke at the press conference. The two officers were best friends on a small police force.

"They were very well known by students and they were always seen together," Bushman said.

Immediately following a 911 call, numerous police agencies were called to the scene, including the Bridgewater College Police Department, Town of Bridgewater Police Department, Virginia State Police, Rockingham County Sheriff's Office, City of Harrisonburg Police, Augusta County Sheriff’s Office, Town of Dayton Police Department and the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources Conservation Police, a press release said.

Officers arrived on the scene almost immediately, Geller said. Most students were in class and the shootings were in a somewhat isolated area.

A man fitting the shooter's description was located on Riverside Drive in the town of Bridgewater. He waded through knee-high water and onto an island in the North River, located in Bridgewater. Harrisonburg Police, Rockingham County Sheriff's Office deputies and Virginia State Police special agents took him into custody without further incident.

The suspect — 27-year-old Alexander Wyatt Campbell — was shot but it's not clear if it was self-inflicted or if he was shot when initially confronted by the Bridgewater officers.

"We're only a couple of hours into this investigation," Geller said.

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Geller would not say if Campbell was a student. She said several firearms connected to the suspect were recovered after police retraced his steps. She would not say what type of firearm was discharged.

Campbell was treated at the hospital and released into custody.

His last known address was in Ashland, Virginia.

Geller said Campbell has been charged with four felonies: two felony capital murder charges, a felony first-degree murder charge and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. Geller would not say why specifically there was only one first-degree murder charge and not two.

Campbell is being held at the Rockingham County Regional Jail.

The ATF and FBI are assisting in the active investigation.

This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Bridgewater College shooting: Press conference on police investigation