Update on Today’s Campus Shooting and Response
Below is a letter sent to The Chamber's membership from President and CEO Aaron Nelson on August 28, 2023 in response to the shooting on UNC-Chapel Hill's Campus.
Good evening,
I wanted to share a short update on the shooting that took place on UNC Chapel Hill’s campus today.
More information will be learned and shared over the coming days and weeks, but we now know that there was a shooting today on campus around 1:00pm in Caudill Labs next to Wilson Library. Minutes after the first 911 call, Alert Carolina was activated and the well-designed, well-rehearsed Active Shooter Protocol was successfully implemented.
This evening we learned that a member of UNC Chapel Hill’s faculty was shot and killed, and a graduate student is in custody, arrested a few miles north of campus. The gunman is believed to have acted alone and there is no continued physical threat to campus or community.
Our heart hurts for the family, colleagues, and students of the faculty member; for the witnesses to the shooting; and for those on and off campus who were traumatized by today’s events. We are grateful no other injuries have been reported.
All UNC-Chapel Hill classes have been cancelled for the rest of the day and tomorrow (Tuesday) and UNC Hospitals closed outpatient clinics for the rest of this evening. Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools reopened after a multi-hour 'secure-status,’ cancelled afterschool activities today, but will be operating on a normal schedule tomorrow.
Earlier this evening, I watched the UNC Chapel Hill press conference where Chancellor Guskiewicz and campus Police Chief Brian James stood with UNC Trustee Chair Boliek, Sheriff Blackwood, Chapel Hill Chief Lehew, District Attorney Neiman, and representatives from the FBI and other law enforcement and emergency response partners. The Chancellor acknowledged that events like these shake our confidence and our sense of safety, and he committed the University to working with students, faculty, staff, and community to rebuild it. The business community stands ready to help however we can.
Press conferences like the one on campus this evening, are becoming too common across our nation. Watching this one, when it was our community’s turn to stand behind the podium, I was reminded how much leadership matters and how grateful I am for the leaders we choose.
For the more than 50,000 students and employees of UNC and UNC Health who were asked to shelter in place, and for those of us who care about them, today was hard and scary.
Over the next few days, I hope you will join me in checking on your campus friends and family, asking what they need and helping them find it. If they say they are ‘fine,’ please make a note to check again in a few days, and also again after that. And for yourself – take time to take stock of how you are feeling and talk with someone about it.
In appreciation of our leaders and first responders who took quick action today and helped keep so many of us safe,
-Aaron
PS: some helpful resources: You can find up-to-date local news at www.chapelboro.com and www.dailytarheel.com and on the radio at 97.9TheHill WCHL. To keep up on emergent campus issues follow @AlertCarolina on social media or check the Alert Carolina website for updates and follow Chapel Hill at @ChapelHillGov or through their Newsroom or Emergency page, and you can to connect with Carrboro here. For emergency messaging from Orange County, sign up for OC Alerts here.