Shooting at a North Carolina HBCU leaves one dead, 6 injured

A shooting at Elizabeth City State University has claimed the life of one person and left six people injured.

Details: Elizabeth City State University shooting

The shooting at the North Carolina HBCU happened Sunday, April 27, about 12:30 a.m. following the university’s Yard Fest event.

Yard Fest is a school spirit event that is part of the university’s weeklong Viking Fest celebration, according to a statement from the university.

Victims

The university said a 24-year-old man identified as Isaiah Caldwell of Albany, New York, who was not a student, died during the shooting.

Caldwell was often a visitor of the campus and was reportedly mingling with Groove Phi Groove fraternity.

“Isaiah was a remarkable brother who always sought the positive in every situation,” Groove Phi Groove said to Spectrum News. “He was a pillar of support for many brothers and a mentor to others.”

Gunfire injured four other people, including three ECSU students, and the commotion injured two additional students. University officials said none of the injuries were life‑threatening, and first responders took each victim to a local hospital.

The shooting prompted a campus lockdown, and the university issued a shelter-in-place order for all students.

Police later lifted the lockdown, and the school said it increased police patrols across campus as a precaution.

Officials canceled classes through Tuesday and said instruction will remain remote for the rest of the semester, which ends Friday.

So far, authorities have not announced any charges or arrests after the incident.

Investigation

The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation is asking for the public’s help in the investigation. They urged anyone with information, videos, or pictures of the event to contact:

• the agency
• Elizabeth City State University Police Department

Elizabeth City State University is a public, historically Black university in Elizabeth City, about 26 miles south of the North Carolina and Virginia state border.