UNC-Chapel Hill campus returns to normal after report of armed suspect prompts lockdown
The UNC campus spent about 30 minutes in lockdown Friday after an alert about an armed and dangerous person.
Police found no suspect on campus with a weapon after a 911 call, and no one was hurt during the investigation.
At roughly 12:30 p.m., UNC released an “all clear” advisory and the campus was told it was safe for normal activities to resume.
“UNC Police conducted a thorough search and a review of security camera footage and determined that no armed individual was present on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus,” wrote George Battle, vice chancellor, in an email. “I am grateful for the quick response of UNC Police, UNC Hospital Police and our town and county law enforcement partners.”
UNC officials had earlier advised all students and staff to stay inside and avoid windows, telling people to keep clear of the Ambulatory Care Center near UNC Hospitals.
‘I was afraid’
Multiple students reported hearing sirens, and one witness reported seeing officers with guns drawn on Mason Farm Road.
Charity Watkins, a professor at N.C. Central University, was leaving the area in her car when she saw several police officers running toward the Ambulatory Care Center with their guns drawn. She said the guns looked like assault rifles.
The police were rushing people out of the area, and she said she heard one officer say to “get the cars out of here.” The Carolina Alert had not been sent out yet, and she immediately thought there was an active shooter on campus, which she’s never experienced before.
“I was afraid,” Watkins said. “I initially called my husband first.”
She didn’t hear any gunshots, she said, but the sound of the sirens was still ringing in her ears for a while after she drove off.
“I’m doing better now that I’m in Durham,” she said.
UNC police set up a crime scene at the ACC after a News & Observer reporter found an unfired bullet on the sidewalk outside of the building. Police surveyed the scene for about 30 minutes before removing the bullet.
In his email Friday, Battle said the bullet belonged to an officer responding on the scene.
The ACC remained busy after the alert Friday while testing people for COVID-19.
Frustration among some students
Chris Suggs, the senior class president at UNC, called the alerts frustrating because the initial warning was vague about the area of danger and the follow-up instructed people to avoid the ACC — a confusing acronym.
“There were so many students who were like, ‘Where is that?’ ” Suggs said. “If you’re not a medical student or haven’t been around there for COVID-19 testing or other medical issues, you wouldn’t be familiar with the building, much less the acronym for it.”
Some students thought “ACC” might relate to sports or the Dean Dome. Others had to search Google.
“That lack of identifying information posed a huge safety concern,” Suggs said, adding that no further information came for more than 40 minutes. “The fact that UNC handled this situation in this disappointing manner is a serious sign for concern. This is scary because we’re in such a tumultuous climate.”
Battle apologized for the gap in communication and said officials wanted to make sure they were putting out accurate information.
This story was originally published October 30, 2020 at 11:57 AM.