Purdue: One Dead, One Arrested in University Shooting
One suspect is in custody after a fatal shooting at Purdue University in Indiana Tuesday afternoon that killed one person.
The suspect reportedly surrendered to police outside of the Electrical Engineering Building, located on the northeast side of the West Lafayette campus, shortly after noon ET on Tuesday. The university announced the shooting via social media, text message, and its website, warning students that the school had been put into lockdown mode while police investigated the incident. This lockdown was lifted around 1:30 p.m. but the electrical engineering building is reportedly still closed.
The text message sent by the university to students and faculty read: "Shooting reported on campus; Bldg. Electrical Engineering; avoid area; shelter in place."
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Purdue Provost Tim Sands said at a press conference Tuesday afternoon that one victim was killed as a result of Tuesday's shooting, although his identity and his connection with the school has yet to be determined.
According to University Police Chief John Cox, shortly before noon, the gunman walked into the Electrical Engineering Building "with the intention of harming someone," then walked out and surrendered to a West Lafayette police officer.
Television footage from the campus show police leading a person in handcuffs away from campus buildings.
Julissa Martinez, a freshman nursing student, told The Associated Press that her psychology teacher on the other side of campus allowed students to call their loved ones to let them know they were safe following the lockdown announcement. Martinez said the teacher tried his hardest to maintain order even though students were becoming panicked.
"He tried to get everything under control because people were freaking out," she said, adding, "It was scary because you hear about it, but you never expect it to happen on your campus."
Another student, Erica Ambrose, a senior in the School of Agriculture, told The Purdue Exponent that she was in the Electrical Engineering Building when the lockdown commenced, and she could hear people running through the halls, shouting.
"We heard shouting downstairs and it sounded like people were running through the hallways, just yelling at each other."
Purdue University is a public school located in West Lafayette, Ind. Last year, it had more than 30,000 undergraduate students.
