COLUMBUS, Ga. (AP) — Campus police at Georgia’s Columbus State University fatally shot a man after officers responded to a report of someone seen loading a gun, authorities said.
The man wasn’t a student at the university and no one else was hurt in the incident Sunday afternoon in which police reported they chased the suspect on foot near apartments on the campus about 100 miles southwest of Atlanta, authorities said. Officials say no lockdown was imposed during or after the events.
University Police Chief Rus Drew told The Associated Press that officers were called at 2:35 p.m. Sunday and arrived three minutes later to an area near some campus apartments and began chasing a man on foot.
“There was a short foot chase and at some point the suspect turned and faced the officers and shots were fired,” Drew said by phone. He added that while there were some student witnesses, no lockdown was ordered because events had unfolded rapidly and authorities had determined that an “isolated threat” had ended.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is probing the shooting. University officials said they would have no further details immediately and were assisting the agency’s investigation.
“This is a terrible tragedy,” CSU President Tim Mescon said. “We’ll cooperate fully with the investigation … Our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone involved in this as well as their families.”
The identity of the man was not immediately made public pending notification of the family, authorities said.
The university said it was cooperating with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, a state law enforcement agency that routinely investigates police-involved shootings. It also said counselors would be made available to students if needed.
The university, situated near the Georgia line with Alabama, said on its website that it has more than 8,200 students. The campus is located in downtown Columbus.
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