University officials, students speak out after former UNCP student killed in shooting near campus

ROBESON COUNTY, N.C. (WBTW) — One former college student is dead after a shooting Wednesday evening near a college campus in North Carolina.

University of North Carolina Pembroke police said shots were fired at University Courtyard Apartments.

News crews were at the apartment complex and noticed some cars in the parking lot with bullet holes in the windows.

University officials said UNCP police responded to the gunshots fired just before 5 p.m.

Charles Welch, a sophomore business administration student at UNCP, said he heard the gunshots.

“I didn’t see when the shots went off,” Welch said. “But I actually heard the shots go off and when I looked outside, I saw everybody disburse.”

The University Chancellor, Robin Cummings, said a former 19-year-old UNCP student died after the injuries he suffered from the shooting.

Police were called out again later that evening after injuries of one person were reported. The 19-year-old was brought to Southeastern Urgent Care where he was pronounced dead in the emergency room.

Current student, Charles Welch, said he was lying in bed reading when he heard almost ten rounds go off outside.

“I think I maybe saw, four or five people,” Welch said. “I’m not too sure but I did see everybody disburse once the shots went off and I heard a little commotion like you could hear people yelling and stuff.”

Another student at UNCP recorded audio from the shooting and multiple rounds can be heard fired in the audio.

Welch said he and others were disappointed in the university’s delay in notifying the community and students.

University Vice Chancellor for finance and administration, Gabe Eszterhas, said all classes before 11 a.m. Thursday morning was canceled.

“When we received the reports of shots fired,” Eszterhas said. “Officers responded immediately and were there within three minutes and they observed nothing so there was a judgement call and as to whether to issue it or not. So, I would say at this point, the delay was a question of what the judgement is you exercise at that moment and that is something I want to say again we are still investigating what exactly happened every single minute there and what each person’s actions were during the event.”

Eszterhas said there are 20 sworn on campus officers and more security was brought in to help with student security.