FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — Officials at Northern Arizona University say a shooting outside a dormitory early this morning has left one person dead, three others wounded and the suspected shooter in custody.
The gunfire erupted in a parking lot at the Flagstaff campus. Police say the shooting started as a fight between 2 student groups.
Student Maria Gonzalez tells The Associated Press that she was studying at the time of the incident and first thought the noise was firecrackers. She says she looked out a window and saw two people running, and that’s when she realized she’d heard gunshots.
The first police call about the gunfire came in at 1:20 a.m. local time.
The University police chief identifies the suspect as 18-year-old Steven Jones, believed to be a freshman at the Flagstaff school. The campus is not on lockdown, but school president Rita Cheng says: “This is not going to be a normal day at NAU.”
On its website, Northern Arizona University says the campus has been stabilized and is not on lockdown. But Gonzalez wonders: “How am I supposed to feel safe?”
The 4-year public university has more than 25,000 total undergraduates.