ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. (WAVY) — Elizabeth City State University officials said one person was killed and five people were hurt after a shooting during a university event early Sunday morning.
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In a statement, ECSU administration told 10 On Your Side the shooting happened during their ‘Viking Fest’ event in the quad area at 12:30 a.m.
School administration said four people were shot and two others were hurt during the commotion.
Of the four people shot, officials said three of them were ECSU students. All three students were expected to survive.
The one person shot who was not an ECSU student died from their injuries, according to officials. The university is waiting until that person’s family is notified before releasing their name.
ECSU officials locked down the campus for several hours after the shooting. Students told WAVY News the email for the lockdown came two hours after the shooting happened, but that police were there almost instantly.
No arrests had been made.
Law enforcement told 10 On Your Side there was no immediate threat to the campus community. ECSU Police increased patrols across the campus for added safety.
Gov. Josh Stein said he had been in touch with ECSU Interim Chancellor Catherine Edmonds and Police Chief Ernest Cuthbertson following the tragic shooting to offer support and condolences.
“My heart goes out to the family and friends of the person who was killed, and Anna and I are praying for the other victims.” Stein said.
ECSU’s administration decided to cancel classes and all campus events for Monday, Apr. 28 and Tuesday, Apr. 29, then transitioned all classes to remote learning beginning Wednesday, Apr. 30. The move to remote learning will continue for the remainder of the semester.
Witness Accounts
Sunday morning, students were on lockdown for several hours. When WAVY News got to the university, some students were leaving their lockdown spots for the first time since the shooting incident.
One ECSU student said he saw a fight break out before he heard the gunshots Sunday around 12:30 a.m.
“People were arguing, but then we just saw a wave of people running. Then people just started shooting,” he said.
He described bullets flying across the quad. “Terrifying, really, because it went from just regular shots to what sounded like automatic shots,” he said.
He said he jumped a bench with his friends and ran towards a nearby dorm. Before he got to the door, he heard more screaming and shooting. He said one woman’s cries caught his attention in particular.
“She kept saying ‘I’m hit, I’m hit’,” he said. “I just heard her start screaming, right by the door. So I ended up going towards her to help her into the building. We had to get her … we got her on the couch, tied shirts around her leg and stuff like that so she didn’t bleed out or nothing like that.”
He described waiting in the dark for hours at the dorm he sheltered in before the lockdown was lifted. He said he feels bad for everyone that was hurt, but that this shouldn’t have happened in the first place.
“I don’t expect that to happen on a campus,” he said. “If you did get hurt, I do feel bad for you. And I wish you never even … had to experience anything like that, because some of y’all don’t deserve it. For real. ‘Cause I don’t feel like they were involved at all.”
WAVY News also spoke with two women who said they were trampled multiple times during what they described as “chaos” and one had twisted her ankle.
Sunday morning, concerned parents were on campus helping their students pack up belonging after what they described as a terrifying night.
One father of a student said he got the call from his daughter saying there was a shooting outside her dorm. That was all he needed to hear to drive from out-of-town to pick her up from school.
Investigation
The Elizabeth City State University Police Department has requested assistance from the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI).
SBI investigators were at the scene on campus Sunday gathering evidence.
The SBI is asking for the public’s help in this case. If anyone has any information, videos or pictures at the event, please contact the SBI at 919-662-4500 or the ECSU PD at 252-335-3266.
ECSU Resources for Students
ECSU Counseling Services will be available Sunday, April 27, 2025, beginning at 10:30 a.m. at the Mickey L. Burnim Fine Arts Center to offer counseling and support services for students, faculty and staff who have experienced trauma or distress. If immediate support is needed, on-call and after-hours counseling support is offered at 252-335-3275.
ECSU Administration
This is a breaking news story. Stay with WAVY.com for updates.