A faculty member died in a shooting on the campus of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Monday, university officials said. The school did not identify the faculty member as they work to notify their family.
Police arrested a suspected gunman almost two hours after reports of an active shooter shut down the campus, according to police. Tailei Qi, a PhD student at the university, has been charged with first degree murder and will have his first court appearance in Orange County Tuesday.
All classes and activities are canceled at UNC for Tuesday.
"I am devastated and saddened by today’s shooting in one of our campus buildings, a place where we conduct our important work of teaching, mentoring and research every day," Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz said in an email late Monday afternoon.
"This shooting damages the trust and safety that we so often take for granted on our campus," the chancellor said.
There was a heavy police presence on campus Monday afternoon as police fanned out to find a suspect in the shooting.
UNC gave the all-clear at 4:13 p.m., after students, staff and faculty had been sheltering in place for more than three hours.
At about 1 p.m., police warned of an armed and dangerous person on campus, saying everyone should immediately go inside, close windows and doors and stay put until further notice.
Police said they got the first call about shots fired at Caudill Laboratories on campus at 131 South Road at 1:02 p.m. Police said officers arrested the suspect at 2:38 p.m.
Campus Police Chief Brian James said it took about 90 minutes to lift the lockdown after the arrest as police searched for the gun from the shooting and confirmed the suspect's identity.
Witnesses at Caudill Lab identified the suspected shooter for police, James said.
The campus police chief said investigators have still not found the gun used in the shooting.
A video of the arrest, shared with Spectrum News 1, shows police in a residential neighborhood not far from campus searching a man before putting him in an unmarked car.
The photo released by police match that of Qi, a graduate student in applied physical sciences at the university, according to the department's website. The university removed Qi's profile page from its website.
The university canceled all classes and activities Monday as students, faculty and staff remained under a "shelter in place" order for hours.
Gov. Roy Cooper said he was working with the Orange County Sheriff's Office and the North Carolina Department of Public Safety to assist in the case.
"This is a tragic way to start a new semester and the state will provide any assistance necessary to support the UNC community," the governor said on social media.
CAPS staff will be available to talk with students on a walk-in basis in CAPS, the Carolina Union 2420 and SASB North 1118 on Tuesday. Students can also call CAPS 24/7 at 919-966-3658 to connect with a mental health professional, even after hours.
The university will open a hotline starting at 8 a.m. Tuesday for parents and community members who have questions. The number is 919-918-1999.
Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools operated in "secure mode" Monday, meaning schools and offices were locked and no one was be allowed in or out. The school system said they received the "all clear" to release students at 3:40 p.m.
UNC Hospitals lifted their lockdown at 4 p.m., the spokesman said.