University of North Carolina locks down over reports of armed person weeks after fatal shooting

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill was locked down on Wednesday after the campus alert system warned of an armed and dangerous person on or near campus.

The afternoon alert instructed students to “go inside now” and avoid windows. UNC’s media relations department did not immediately respond to email and phone messages seeking comment.

UNC Health didn’t know of anyone brought to the hospital in connection with the lockdown, said spokesperson Phil Bridges.

Students are still recovering from the fatal shooting of a faculty member in a science building about two weeks prior.

UNC graduate student Tailei Qi, 34, is being held without bond on charges of first-degree murder and having a gun on educational property in connection with the shooting death of associate professor Zijie Yan. The state’s flagship public university was locked down for about three hours during the Aug. 28 police manhunt that resulted in Qi’s arrest.

Students have since criticized the university for providing sporadic and undetailed information during the campus emergency.