CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — It was a frightening day when UNC Chapel Hill went on lockdown.

Police say a graduate student shot and killed professor Zijie Yan in the applied physical sciences department. When the alert came out, Joe Fearrington sprang into action.

What You Need To Know

  • Joe Fearrington has been a housekeeping services technician for UNC Chapel Hill for 21 years

  • On Aug. 28, 2023, he ushered students and faculty away from the shooting scene where police say a student killed his professor

  • Fearrington was recognized for his heroic actions at an awards ceremony

The housekeeping services technician of 21 years kept students, faculty and staff away from the shooting.

“No, no fear all, no fear at all, the good Lord put me in this position where I was able to take care of people who needed to be taken care of,” Fearrington said.

When the alert sounded, Fearrington took care of business outside the university convenience store, The Blue Ram, leading students away from the shooting at Caudill labs and into the store, securing the doors.

He kept the students and faculty calm, using his sense of humor. It’s something he saw his father do when he was growing up.

“I told them, ‘Hey, since we’re all here together we might as well have a big party,’ so I started handing out food on the shelves and offered them sodas. You could see that they (were) torn apart, so I just tried to enlighten them a little bit. Well, it came from the heart, the good Lord put me in place,” Fearrington said.

He credits his faith and his parents with providing him with his compassion and concern.

“It was instilled in me as a young man, but it’s something that’s always been done with my family, we’ve always tried to help others,” Fearrington said.

The State Employees Association of North Carolina and other groups recognized Fearrington for his heroic actions at an awards ceremony and with a cash award.