UNC Chapel Hill alerts campus community of ‘armed, dangerous person,’ urges people to stay inside

CHAPEL HILL, NC — The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill sent out an alert Monday warning of an “armed, dangerous person on or near campus” and urging people to go inside and avoid windows.

Gov. Roy Cooper posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he had spoken to the Orange County sheriff and the state’s public safety secretary and “pledged all state resources needed to capture the shooter and protect the UNC campus.”

Cooper didn’t provide further information about the apparent shooting, including whether anyone had been shot.

School officials said as soon as they had verified information, they would share it.

They didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking further details.

The school’s first alert was sent out just after 1 p.m. At 1:50 p.m., officials posted on X that the shelter-in-place order remained in effect and that it was “an ongoing situation.”

About 40 minutes later, the school added a post saying: “Remain sheltered in place. This is an ongoing situation. Suspect at large.”

About two hours after the first alert went out, officers were still arriving in droves, with about 30 police vehicles at the scene and multiple helicopters circling over the school’s flagship campus, where the fall semester started last week.

An officer admonished two people who tried to exit the student center, yelling “Inside, now!”

About 10 minutes later, law enforcement escorted a group of students out of one of the science buildings, with everyone walking in an orderly line with their hands up.

Nearby Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools posted on social media that all doors would be locked at its schools and offices until authorities say it’s safe.