1 student hospitalized after dorm shooting places North Carolina university on lockdown

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A student was hospitalized after reports of a shooting at a residence hall at North Carolina Central University, a university spokesperson said.

Police were called to Lawson Street Residence Complex at 10:15 p.m. Tuesday, according to a news release from the university in Durham. The school was placed on lockdown, and a campus alert was issued warning those in the area of an “armed and dangerous person.”

Officers closed two blocks of Lawson Street for approximately two hours while investigating, according to the Durham Police Department.

While responding to an “unrelated medical call” nearby, Durham EMS arrived to the complex to aid one person who was shot at least once, the university said. The person was sent to Duke University Hospital.

The shooting victim was identified as a NCCU student who is in the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries as of Wednesday afternoon, university spokesperson Stephen W. Fusi told The Associated Press in an email.

The shooting is being treated as a criminal investigation, NCCU Police Chief Damon Williams told reporters at a news conference, but no details on potential suspects were provided.

The lockdown was lifted at about 12:20 a.m. on Wednesday. There is no present danger on campus, per the university.

The university will provide counseling for students who need support in the aftermath of the shooting, starting Wednesday. A campus safety townhall for students is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon, Fusi said.

The historically Black university has an enrollment of approximately 8,000 students. Lawson Street Residential Complex can home more than 450 students, according to the university’s website. It’s located on the western side of NCCU’s campus near the McDougald-McLendon Arena and Student Health Building.