UNC campus on lockdown over ‘armed and dangerous person’ two weeks after shooting

The University of North Carolina campus has been placed into lockdown over an “armed and dangerous person” just two weeks after a faculty member was fatally shot there.

A campus alert was sent out at 12.54pm ET, asking students and staff to “go inside now” and to “avoid windows” because of the threat posed “on or near campus.”

Police are on the lookout for a suspect involved in an incident at Alpine Bagel at the UNC Student Union after a person was seen with a firearm, according to WRAL. Sources told the TV station that no shots have been fired.

Video from the scene showed law enforcement vehicles parked near the student union near the intersection of Stadium Drive and South Road, and audio of the sirens going off across the campus was posted to X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

At 1.30pm the university put out an updated alert that stated: “Reports of an armed & dangerous person on/near campus. Continue to shelter in place.”

Just last month, Zijie Yan, an associate professor in the Department of Applied Physical Sciences, was gunned down on the Chapel Hill campus.

Tailei Qi, a 34-year-old graduate student at the university was charged with first-degree murder and having a gun on education property.

Campus police have asked anyone seeing suspicious activity to call 911.

When the threat is over, school officials say sirens will sound again with a different tone to announce along with the voice message: “All clear. Resume normal activities.”

The latest lockdown comes just 24 hours after UNC students protested state gun laws at the State House in nearby Raleigh, chanting “Vote Them Out” towards the politicians present.

Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools sent out a message to parents stating that they had entered a “secure mode” lockdown, with classes continuing.

The incident took place on the same morning that there was a UNC-Chapel Hill employee forum where faculty and staff gave feedback on the university’s response to the August shooting.

And Wednesday’s campus alarm went off just minutes after the university sent out an email asking the community to rate their response to the first shooting.