RALEIGH, NC – A North Carolina Central University (NCCU) student was rushed to a nearby hospital after suffering from gunshot wounds at a campus residence hall Tuesday night, a representative from the university confirmed.
At approximately 10:15 p.m., law enforcement officials were alerted to the incident at Lawson Street Residence Complex. A lockdown was promptly initiated, and the campus community received a cautionary alert about an “armed and dangerous person.”
Lawson Street was temporarily closed for two blocks, for roughly two hours, while the Durham Police Department conducted their investigation. Durham EMS, originally responding to another unrelated call in the vicinity, tended to the injured student who had received at least one gunshot wound. The victim was subsequently transported to Duke University Hospital.
University spokesperson Stephen W. Fusi noted that the student had sustained non-life-threatening injuries and remained in the hospital as of Wednesday afternoon.
Heading the investigation, NCCU Police Chief Damon Williams confirmed that they are treating the event as a criminal case. However, additional details about potential suspects were not disclosed.
The lockdown was lifted just past midnight, around 12:20 a.m. Wednesday. The university affirmed that there is no ongoing danger on campus in connection to the incident.
Anticipating the emotional toll this could have on its students, NCCU is making counseling services available for anyone needing emotional support following the shooting, starting Wednesday. A planned campus safety townhall is also being organized for students Wednesday afternoon, Fusi informed.
NCCU, a historically Black university, has about 8,000 enrolled students. Located on the western edge of NCCU’s campus, the Lawson Street Residential Complex, the scene of the Tuesday night violence, has the capacity to house over 450 students. Nearby structures include the McDougald-McLendon Arena and the Student Health Building.