Just days after students moved back onto campus, tragedy has plagued the exciting allure of going back to school at UNC at Chapel Hill.
As CNN is reporting, on August 28, a lone gunman opened fire on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
???? New video: Students spotted at @UNC jumping out of buildings after reports of active shooter on campus. The first news conference is scheduled for 5 PM today. WRAL confirmed 1 death. @WRAL pic.twitter.com/VbFi6g45rK
— Mark Boyle (@MarkBoyleTV) August 28, 2023
The first reports of shots being fired came in at around 1:02 p.m. ET. According to CNN, the gunman was at the school’s Caudill Laboratories. About an hour and a half later, at 2:30 p.m. the suspect was taken into custody alive.
As of 6:45 p.m., the only known casualty is a faculty member. Their identity has not yet been made public. No other injuries have been reported.
Reports of shots fired at UNC Chapel Hill.
— LAUREN (@LaurenRock) August 28, 2023
Cops looking for Asian male in Silver Nissan sedan, license plate TJN-4072, per scanner just now.
It sounds like there may be at least two victims. EMS on scanner just said "additional victim in room 159 at Caudill labs. pic.twitter.com/C7mtnvyYf2
There is still little known about the gunman as well. However, on August 29, CNN has reported his identity.
According to CNN, the gunman has been identified as graduate student Tailei Qi. He has been charged with first-degree murder and having a gun on education property.
Qi has been enrolled in the “Department of Applied Physical Sciences” since 2022. UNC police Chief Brian James told CNN that it’s still too early to know a motive for why the shooting took place.
“We want to ensure that we gather every piece of evidence to determine exactly what happened here today and why it happened,” Chief James explained.
It’s also unclear what Qi’s relationship was to the victim, if any.
Following reports of the first shots, students were alerted to shelter in place. Several hours later, around 3:30 p.m., an hour after the suspect had been apprehended, students were given the “all clear” to continue on with their day.
This story is still developing. Mamas Uncut will continue to update this article when more information becomes available.