A former University of North Carolina student was taken into custody this afternoon after several reports of an active shooter incident.
Early this afternoon reports of an armed suspect sent the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill into lockdown on Monday afternoon. The University of North Carolina issued an emergency alert to students after law enforcement said there was “an armed and dangerous person on or near campus.” Authorities also released photos of the person of interest.
Governor Roy Cooper released a statement about the active situation saying, “My office is in communication with law enforcement and officials at UNC-Chapel Hill who are taking precautions to protect campus safety following today’s shooting,” Cooper said in a 2:49 p.m. post on X, formerly known as Twitter. “This is a tragic way to start a new semester and the state will provide any assistance necessary to support the UNC community.”
UNC Police announced at 2:35 p.m. that officers are looking for a person of interest in connection with the “armed and dangerous person situation.” Anyone who sees this person, pictured below, is asked to keep their distance and call 911. The image appears to match a photo on the UNC directory of graduate student Tailei Qi.
Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools entered “Secure Mode” across all schools and offices. This means building doors will be closed and locked and nobody will be allowed to enter or exit until authorities give the “all-clear.” Classroom instruction will continue during this time.
“As we know, elementary dismissal time is 2:35 p.m.,” the school district said in a statement at 2:15 p.m. “Our buses have been directed to line up at their elementary schools, but until we receive an “all clear” from the proper authorities, we will keep all students and staff safely indoors. As a safety precaution, schools have been directed not to release students to their families at this time. Buses will remain in place until we can safely release students. Thank you for your patience and understanding. Stay close to your phone, email and CHCCS social media for more information as we learn it.”