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AP |
On Monday, authorities at the University of North Carolina issued an alert about an armed individual on campus, and after three hours, they concluded the situation.
The alert instructed people to lock themselves in and avoid looking out of windows. However, school authorities later wrote on their social media: "All clear. Resume normal activities."
Local media reported the arrest of student Tailei Qi, a major in applied physical sciences at the University of North Carolina. Qi also studied physics at Wuhan University and materials science at the University of Louisiana.
While school and municipal authorities didn't provide details about the alleged campus shooting, Governor Roy Cooper stated that he had spoken with the Orange County police chief and the state's secretary of public safety, promising all necessary state resources to apprehend the assailant and protect the UNC campus.
— Governor Roy Cooper (@NC_Governor) August 28, 2023
Cooper's office declined to provide more information, stating they didn't want to get ahead of municipal authorities' reports. School authorities mentioned they would share information as soon as they've verified it.
The initial school alert was sent shortly after 1:00 PM. At 1:50 PM, authorities posted on social media that the arrest order was still in effect and that the situation was ongoing.
Around 40 minutes later, the school added a post saying, "Stay safe. This is an ongoing situation. Suspect remains at large."
Security authorities released a photo of the suspected shooter and urged people who recognize him to report it to the emergency number 911.
This photo shows a person of interest in today’s armed and dangerous person situation. If you see this person, keep your distance, put your safety first and call 911. pic.twitter.com/NHG5CTjby4
— UNC Police (@UNCPolice) August 28, 2023
According to a witness who spoke to CNN, many students locked themselves in buildings while armed officers searched the campus.
As of now, the number of victims is unknown, and it has been reported that authorities have detained an individual in connection with these events.