‘I heard the gunshots through my window:’ 1 dead, 6 injured in shooting on North Carolina college campus
ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. (WITN/Gray News) - One person was killed and six others were injured after a shooting that reportedly happened on the campus of Elizabeth City State University.
Officials say the shooting occurred at 12:30 a.m. on Sunday.
Elizabeth City State University confirmed in a news release that four victims sustained gunshot wounds, and three of those victims are university students.
Two other university students were injured “during the subsequent commotion.” The university says none of the injuries are considered life-threatening, and all of the injured were taken to a local hospital.
The university also says the deceased victim, identified as a 24-year-old man, was not a student. The man’s identity has not been released.
The shooting happened as the university was celebrating Viking Fest this weekend on campus with an event called Yardfest the night before.
It was not immediately clear what led up to the shooting or if there were details on a potential suspect.
WITN spoke with a woman who was at the event who said she heard gunfire erupt. Another student WITN spoke to says she hid under a table as the air of bullets flew past her.
“I heard the gunshots through my window and through the walls,” student Mark Hurlbut said. “Campus honestly didn’t send out any alerts of any kind until may 20-30 minutes after it happened. I didn’t think nothing of it, but then it finally clicked. This happened right outside my door.”
Zion Upchurch told WITN that the events made him emotional.
“I had left right before all of this transpired, but I had heard the gunshots from my dorm, and then I had got a phone call saying some people had got shot and I was just trying to figure out who did,” he said. “I feel- I’m sad because the person that did away doesn’t even go here, so it just doesn’t make sense.
In a Facebook post, the university shared, “The university is deeply saddened by this senseless act. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families, and all of the Viking community affected by this tragedy.”
According to the university, counseling services will be available beginning Sunday at 10:30 a.m. at the Mickey L. Burnim Fine Arts Center. If immediate is needed, on-call and after-hours counseling is offered at 252-335-3275.
The university also increased patrols across campus, and access to the center of campus will remain restricted throughout Sunday.
Anyone with information regarding the shooting is encouraged to university police at 252-335-3266.
The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, Elizabeth City Police, Pasquotank County Sheriff’s Office, and Camden County Sheriff’s Office are also investigating the overnight shooting.
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