2 killed at UNC Charlotte, 4 others injured; suspect in custody

Associated Press
Tuesday, April 30, 2019 7:13 p.m. | Tuesday, April 30, 2019 7:13 p.m.

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Students and faculty file out of buildings during a lockdown after a shooting on the campus of University of North Carolina Charlotte in University City, Charlotte, on April 30, 2019. Six people were shot, two of them died on the University of North Carolina Charlotte campus. One person was taken into custody, according to police sources.

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A student sits under a tree after a shooting on the campus of University of North Carolina Charlotte in University City, Charlotte, on April 30, 2019. -Six people were shot, two of them died on the University of North Carolina Charlotte campus. One person was taken into custody, according to police sources.

Getty Images

Students and faculty file out of buildings with their hands up during a lockdown after a shooting on the campus of University of North Carolina Charlotte in University City, Charlotte, on April 30, 2019. Six people were shot, two of them died on the University of North Carolina Charlotte campus. One person was taken into custody, according to police sources.

CHARLOTTE — A shooting on a North Carolina university campus left two people dead and four wounded Tuesday, prompting a lockdown and chaotic scene in the state’s largest city.

UNC Charlotte issued a campus lockdown late Tuesday afternoon, saying shots had been fired. Later in the evening, the campus was declared secure after a suspect was taken into custody.

“Shots reported near kennedy. Run, Hide, Fight. Secure yourself immediately,” the university said in an alert, referring to the school’s Kennedy building on campus.

BREAKING: Two dead, four injured after shooting on UNC Charlotte campus, officials say. https://t.co/2ITX9hZmeK pic.twitter.com/iYNGPM44tW

— ABC News (@ABC) April 30, 2019

Mecklenburg Emergency Medical Services Agency said on Twitter that two people were killed, two others had life-threatening injuries and another two people were treated for less serious injuries. They said the numbers could change.

Aerial shots from local television news outlets showed police officers running toward a building, while another view showed students running on a campus sidewalk.

This video, taken by @jordaypearce, shows police evacuating students from the area of the shooting at #UNCC. pic.twitter.com/aVby4NERF5

— WCCB, Charlotte's CW (@WCCBCharlotte) April 30, 2019

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department later said that the campus had been secured and that officers were going through buildings to let people who had sheltered in place know that it was safe. Police said that one suspect was in custody, and it didn’t appear that others were involved.

#UNCC Shooting: What we know: https://t.co/5Jij0RGtT8

— NBC Charlotte (@wcnc) April 30, 2019

It was not immediately clear whether the victims were students.

The university has more than 26,500 students and 3,000 faculty and staff. The campus is located northeast of the city center and is surrounded by residential areas.

Sam Rice, a senior on UNC Charlotte’s tennis team, told Spectrum News that he was in the library studying for a final exam when he heard people yelling “shooter, shooter.” He said he heard police yelling for people to stay down and stay on the floor.

He was “waiting for someone to tell us everything was going to be OK.”

When people were told to leave, he ran out in his socks, running over glass on the floor.

His reaction is “just shock,” he told the television station. “It doesn’t feel real.”

SCHOOL SHOOTING
- UNC Charlotte
- Shots fired on last day of class
- 2 confirmed dead, 4 injured
- Suspect in custody
- ID'd as 22-year-old student
- Motive unknown

— BNO News (@BNONews) April 30, 2019

Susan Harden, an UNCC professor and Mecklenburg County Commissioner, was at home when she heard of the shooting. She went to a staging area, she said, to provide support.

Harden said she has taught inside the Kennedy building, where the shootings occurred.

Police reportedly say the suspect is in custody after Univ of North Carolina, Charlotte campus shooting. Authorities say no one else is believed to be involved in the killing of two and wounding of four others. WSOC reports suspect is 22-yr-old student Trystan Andrew Terrell. pic.twitter.com/tm5LBxEdaH

— News 93.1 KFBK (@kfbk) April 30, 2019

“It breaks my heart. We’re torn up about what’s happened,” Harden said. “Students should be able to learn in peace and in safety and professors ought to be able to do their jobs in safety.”