CHAPEL HILL — UNC-Chapel Hill officials issued a middle-level warning to the campus Wednesday morning, about three hours after, they said, town police handled an incident in which a shot was fired during an altercation on Franklin Street, at the edge of the campus.

Orange County emergency management officials said no one was taken to a hospital in connection with the incident, and the university said no one was hurt by the gunfire.

UNC reported that a man struck two women before firing the shot and then may have run toward the UNC campus.

The alert was a “timely warning message,” the middle of three levels of campus alerts.

The university states that a timely warning “is issued if there is a continuing danger AND notification will not compromise law enforcement efforts.”

In the notice posted on the university’s website, UNC said Chapel Hill police “are responding to a serious incident which does not reflect an immediate threat to health or safety but may indicate a continuing danger to the campus community.”

The warning was issued at 4:44 a.m. UNC said the incident happened about 2 a.m. at a downtown establishment it did not identify.

The suspect was described only as a black male wearing a white coat with brown trim. Police did not provide other distinguishing characteristics, such as the suspect’s weight, hair color or length or facial hair.

Anyone with information about the incident was asked to contact Chapel Hill-Carrboro-UNC Crime Stoppers at 919-942-7515 or on the Web.