NORMAL, Ala. — One student was wounded on Monday after a shootout with a campus police officer on the campus of Alabama A&M University, officials said.
Campus police: 1 person shot ‘multiple times’
Update 5:04 p.m. EDT March 18: Authorities confirmed that one person was wounded after being shot “multiple times” in the staircase at an Alabama A&M residence hall, WHNT-TV reported.
Campus Police Chief Montrez Payton told reporters that an officer was performing a routine walkthrough at the Ernest L. Knight Complex when they heard shots being fired below them, according to the television station.
The officer went to investigate and encountered a student in the southwest stairwell of the building. Multiple shots were exchanged between the officer and the person, Payton said.
The wounded person was transported to an area hospital, WHNT reported.
“Unfortunately, these things are occurring more frequently,” Payton said. “This is a very tough day for Alabama A&M.”
Original report: In a Bulldog Alert email sent to faculty, staff and students obtained by WHNT-TV, school officials said there was a shooting near the Ernest L. Knight Complex West, a residence hall center on campus.
Huntsville Emergency Medical Services, Inc. spokesperson Don Webster confirmed to WAFF-TV that one person was injured. He said officials received a call at 1:53 p.m. CDT and picked up one patient at the Knight Complex, WHNT reported.
He did not describe the patient’s injury or whether it was related to the shooting.
The Bulldog Alert stated that the shooting was believed to be an isolated incident, according to the television station.
“There is believed to be no threat to the University at this time,” the email stated. “We ask that you refrain from the Knight Complex at this time.”
A Bulldog alert sent by Alabama A&M at 2:13 CDT on X, formerly known as Twitter, said that campus officials were aware of a “public safety emergency,” WHNT reported.
Alabama A&M’s marketing office would not confirm a shooting to AL.com.
According to the Alabama A&M website, the Knight Complex is a five-story residence hall that houses nearly 800 undergraduate students. Upper class males and females live in two-bedroom, two-bathroom suites with a common area shared by the four occupants.
The complex was built in 2006.