Two reported dead after gunman opens fire at North Carolina university

By Dan Whitcomb | Reuters

April 30 – Two people were killed and several others wounded when a suspect opened fire at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte on Tuesday, local media reported, adding that the suspect was taken into custody.

Local WBTV in Charlotte reported that two people were slain and several others struck in the gunfire that erupted at about 5:45 p.m. near the university’s Kennedy Hall administrative building, and that one person had been taken into custody.

There was no word on the condition of the wounded victims. The suspect was not immediately identified by police, which set up a media staging area near the school.

“Run, Hide, Fight. Secure yourself immediately,” the university said on Twitter shortly before 6 p.m.

The school said on its website the campus was on lockdown and that students and staff should “remain in a safe location.”

Video footage posted to social media showed students evacuating campus buildings with their hands raised as police officers ran past them toward the scene of the shooting.

A spokeswoman for Charlotte-Mecklenberg Police Department confirmed there had been an active shooter at the university but declined to give any further information.

According to its website the University of North Carolina at Charlotte enrolls more than 26,500 students and employees 3,000 faculty and staff. (Reporting by Dan Whitcomb Editing by Cynthia Osterman and James Dalgleish)