CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — UNC-Chapel Hill police said it all started at Caudill Laboratories in the middle of campus. A building just steps from the iconic Bell Tower that represents not only the university but the entire state.
University police say they got the shots fired call at 1:02 p.m. Monday.
Two minutes later, leaders sent out an emergency alert notifying the campus and issuing a lockdown.
When police got to Caudill Labs, they found a faculty member who'd been shot and killed. Police aren't revealing their identity until their family is notified.
Chancellor Kevin M. Guskiewicz encouraged the grieving UNC community to come together during this difficult time.
"This loss is devastating, and the shooting damages the trust and safety that we so often take for granted in our campus community. We will work to rebuild that trust and safety within our community. And our hearts are with the community and with the family of our fellow faculty member, those who are personally connected to the victim, and those traumatized by this senseless act of violence," Guskiewicz said.
School officials said no one else was hurt.
UNC Police Chief, Brian James said officers originally detained someone else matching the suspect description but released them once they realized it wasn't the suspect.
"That was based on just the description we were given of the suspect and that person just being in close proximity of the incident," James said.
90 minutes after the shooting, officers said they arrested the suspect.
The chief said they still hadn't found the gun that was used.
Monday night crime tape remained around the labs blocking off the entrance.
Police say the labs are closed until further notice as investigators look for more evidence.