Key information in Monday’s report of shots fired at UNC: – Around 1 p.m., UNC sent an emergency notification reporting an armed and dangerous person was “on or near” campus. – The university’s students, faculty and staff were alerted to go inside and lock all doors. – WRAL sources say one person is in custody as of 3:15 p.m. – Police identified Tailei Qi as a person of interest. – All classes and UNC-sanctioned events are canceled for the rest of the day. – UNC Hospitals is on lockdown as a precaution. UNC outpatient clinics are closed for the rest of the day.
The initial alert, which went out at about 1 p.m. urged everyone on the school’s campus to stay inside and avoid windows. As of 4:16 p.m., the university issued an “all clear” alert to “resume normal activities.”
UNC officials added in the all-clear that everyone should “remain away from Caudill Labs while UNC Police continues to investigate.”
At 2PM the news read:
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (WNCN) — For more than three hours, the UNC-Chapel Hill campus was placed on a lockdown due to an active assailant situation.
Neither police or university officials have confirmed if anyone was hurt or if the suspect has been arrested.
Police have released a photo of the gunman at large on or near UNC-Chapel Hill’s campus on Monday afternoon. According to the UNC website, the suspect image matches an ID photo for a student named Tailei Qi.
News updates:
Just after 4 p.m., UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill issued an all-clear, which lifted their lockdown and resumed normal operations.
The North Carolina State Highway Patrol has their helicopter in the air to help in the search for the armed suspect.
UNC-Chapel Hill said in an update for people to stay sheltered in place and that all classes and events are canceled for the remainder of the day.
Governor Roy Cooper said via Twitter/X that he spoke with the Orange County Sheriff Blackwood and Dept. of Public Safety Secretary Buffaloe and “pledged all state resources needed to capture the shooter and protect the UNC campus.”
Qi was arrested.