ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. (WITN) – Classes at Elizabeth City State University are cancelled until Wednesday, while exams will take place remotely.
The university says a 24-year-old man, who was not a student at the school, died and five others were injured in Sunday’s shooting, including three ECSU students.
The victim’s identity is being withheld pending notification of his next of kin.
The university was celebrating Viking Fest this weekend on campus. An event called Yardfest began at 8:30 p.m. Saturday.
The SBI and ECSU Police say the shooting happened after Yard Fest around 12:30 a.m. on Sunday.
Two more students were injured in the commotion following the shooting.
The university says none of the injuries are life-threatening, but all were taken to a local hospital for treatment.
In an email, ECSU told students that classes on Wednesday will be done remotely, while classes have been extended until Friday. Those too, along with exams will be remote, according to the email.
WITN spoke with a woman Sunday who was at the event, who said she heard gunfire erupt.
Another student WITN spoke to says she hid under a table as the air of bullets flew past her.
Many other students shared their experiences.
“I heard the gunshots through my window and through the walls,” Mark Hurlbut said. “Campus honestly didn’t send out any alerts of any kind until may 20-30 minutes after it happened. I didn’t think nothing of it, but then it finally clicked. This happened right outside my door.”
Zion Upchurch says that he’s emotional.
“I had left right before all of this transpired, but I had heard the gunshots from my dorm, and then I had got a phone call saying some people had got shot and I was just trying to figure out who did,” he said. “I feel- I’m sad because the person that did pass away doesn’t even go here, so it just doesn’t make sense.
The university was on lockdown and issued a shelter-in-place order for all students, which was lifted later on Sunday after law enforcement determined the campus was safe.
ECSU Police, Elizabeth City Police, Pasquotank County Sheriff’s Office, Camden County Sheriff’s Office and the SBI are continuing to investigate the shooting.
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