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At least one person is dead and six others were injured after a shooting at a small university in northeastern North Carolina early April 27, authorities said.
The shooting occurred at the center of Elizabeth City State University’s campus following Yard Fest, a school spirit event that is part of the university’s weeklong Viking Fest celebration, according to a statement from the university. The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation said the shooting took place at around 12:30 a.m.
A 24-year-old man, who was not a student at the school, was pronounced dead, the university said. His identity was not immediately released pending notification of his next of kin.
Four people — including three students — sustained gunshot wounds, according to the university. Two other students were injured during the “subsequent commotion,” the university said.
None of the injuries were considered life-threatening, according to the university, and all victims were transported to a local medical center for treatment.
The shooting prompted a campus lockdown, and the university issued a shelter-in-place order for all students. The lockdown was later lifted, and the school said it increased police patrols across campus as a precaution.
The university also restricted access to the center of campus through April 27.
Latest school shooting to rock a U.S. college campus
The Elizabeth City State University Police Department, along with the Elizabeth City Police Department, Pasquotank County Sheriff’s Office, Camden County Sheriff’s Office, and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, responded to the incident, according to the school.
“The (North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation) is currently on the scene, gathering evidence and collaborating with local authorities,” the agency said in a statement. “As this is an ongoing investigation, information is currently limited.”
The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation is asking for the public’s assistance in the investigation and has urged anyone with information, videos, or pictures of the event to contact the agency or the Elizabeth City State University Police Department.
Elizabeth City State University is a public, historically Black university in Elizabeth City, about 26 miles south of the North Carolina and Virginia state border. The university, which is also a member of the University of North Carolina System, had 2,261 students enrolled as of fall 2024.
The incident at Elizabeth City State University is the latest school shooting to rock a U.S. college campus. On April 17, two people were killed and six others were wounded in a mass shooting at Florida State University. Police in Tallahassee said a 20-year-old student opened fire near the student union with a gun that belonged to his stepmother, a local sheriff’s deputy.
As of April 27, there have been 88 mass shootings in the U.S., according to the Gun Violence Archive. A mass shooting is defined by the Gun Violence Archive as an incident in which at least four people are shot, not including the shooter.
