Faculty member shot and killed in UNC-Chapel Hill building; suspect arrested

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (WBTV/Gray News) - University of North Carolina officials say a faculty member was shot and killed in a campus building during a lockdown on Monday.

UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz said the shooting was in Caudill Laboratories, and there is no longer a threat to the public.

A suspect has been arrested, UNC Police Chief Brian James said at a news conference. Police are not yet releasing the suspect’s name and formal charges have not yet been filed.

James said Caudill labs will be closed until further notice while evidence is being processed. He said a motive isn’t known.

The identity of the victim has also not been released. There were no other deaths or injuries.

Police also say the weapon used in the incident has not been located.

Students and faculty at the flagship campus barricaded themselves in dorm rooms, offices and classrooms for hours until a lockdown was lifted Monday.

The school’s first alert was sent out just after 1 p.m. At 1:50 p.m., officials posted on X that the shelter-in-place order remained in effect and that it was “an ongoing situation.”

About 40 minutes later, the school added a post saying: “Remain sheltered in place. This is an ongoing situation. Suspect at large.”

Police released an image of a person of interest to aid in the investigation.

About two hours after the first alert went out, officers were still arriving to the campus, with about 50 police vehicles at the scene and multiple helicopters circling over the school.

Shortly before 4 p.m., students and faculty started emerging from campus buildings, with the lockdown over.

The report of the shooting and subsequent lockdown paralyzed campus and parts of the surrounding town of Chapel Hill a week after classes began at the state’s flagship public university. The university has approximately 20,000 undergraduate students and 12,000 graduate students.

Classes have been canceled for the remainder of the day on the campus. The university announced the campus will operate under “Condition 2: Suspended Operations” on Tuesday, August 29. Classes will be canceled and all non-mandatory operations will be suspended. Only mandatory employees must report to or remain at work.

UNC Medical Center was still accepting patients Monday afternoon despite being on lockdown as a precaution, but it had not received any patients from the incident on campus, according to Alan Wolf, a spokesperson for UNC Health.

The nearby Chapel Hill-Carrboro City school district also locked down its schools for several hours as a precaution.