UNCP Student News
BREAKING NEWS UPDATE – Thursday, Feb. 8, 4:50 p.m.
A former UNCP student is dead after a shooting on Wednesday.
The victim has been identified as Khalil Alford (KT), 19, by his friend Asa Locklear. He was not enrolled in classes this semester. He was well known and a Soundcloud rapper.
“He was beloved on campus and had an extended family on campus, through his friends. He was just at the wrong place at the wrong time,” Asa Locklear said.
Layah Mann said Khalil was a rapper and one of her best friends. She said that he was the last person she expected to die young because “he was always happy and took care of everyone around him and never asked for anything in return.”
The shooting incident began at around 4:43 p.m. when students reported shots were fired at University Courtyard Apartments Building 3. Several cars and the building were hit by stray bullets. When police arrived they found shell casings and secured the scene.
“I was taking an online exam in my room when I heard a few bangs, I wasn’t sure what they were since there’s loud cars all the time, but I heard people outside my window freaking out,” said Clara Milligan, a Courtyard Apartment resident in Building 1, and UNCP Junior. “ It wasn’t until a little while later during my exam that I started getting the alerts, like, 15-20 minutes later.”
A UNCP Brave Alert reported that Robeson County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a second incident “where they encountered an individual in need of medical care and who later succumbed to their injuries.” The UNCP Police, the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office, and the State Bureau of Investigation are actively investigating the connection between the two incidents, according to a UNC Pembroke Brave alert.
“First, please know, it remains there is no longer an immediate threat to campus, and all facilities on campus are open and operating as normal. The State Bureau of Investigation continues to investigate and is being assisted by the Robeson County Police Department and UNCP Police,” UNCP Chancellor Robin Cummings wrote in a statement.
The UNCP Police, the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office, and the State Bureau of Investigation are actively investigating the connection between the two incidents, according to a UNC Pembroke Brave alert.
“I was just playing League and I heard the gunshots kind of nearby and my friend texted me like 2 minutes after asking if I heard it too,” said Cassidy Hill, Resident at Courtyard Apartments Building 1.
Chancellor Cummings said if you see any person who isn’t a student and you feel unsafe, alert the police.
The school has offered counseling and psychological services on the second floor of the Brave Health Center for any students needing to process what happened. If you need help, call the 24-hour crisis line at 910-775-4749 or stop in for help. The Division of Student Affairs has also announced today that CAPS is offering virtual services in partnership with the UNC System. The service will be active today, Thursday, Feb. 8 from 1-5 p.m. and Friday, Feb. 9 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The virtual services can be accessed with the following Zoom link information: https://zoom.us/j/94658814962 , dial in: +1 (301) 715-8592, meeting ID: 946 5881 4962.
The following journalists contributed to this report: Raven Hanning, Kia Wynne, Alexia Hunt, Jalayna Pough, Blossom Okorie, Michelle Chavis and Harrison Ferger.
BREAKING NEWS – Wednesday, Feb. 7, 11:53 p.m.
A former UNCP student is dead after a shooting this evening. The incident(s) began at around 4:43 p.m. when students reported shots were fired at UNCP’s Courtyard Apartments. When campus police arrived on the scene, they did not encounter any shooters but found shell casings.
“I was taking an online exam in my room when I heard a few bangs, I wasn’t sure what they were since there’s loud cars all the time, but I heard people outside my window freaking out,” said Clara Milligan, a Courtyard resident and UNCP Junior. “ It wasn’t until a little while later during my exam that I started getting the alerts, like, 15-20 minutes later.”
Posts on the anonymous social media site YikYak have reported that the victim was taken to a church across from campus.
However, the UNCP Brave Alert reported that Robeson County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a second incident “where they encountered an individual in need of medical care and who later succumbed to their injuries.” The UNCP Police, the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office, and the State Bureau of Investigation are actively investigating the connection between the two incidents, according to an 11:12 p.m. UNC Pembroke Brave alert.
Students who can’t access their Courtyard apartments can gather on the second floor of the Chavis Center. Housing and Residence Life will be communicating with impacted students about their needs.
The school has offered counseling and psychological services on the second floor of the Brave Health Center for any students needing to process what happened. If you need help, call the 24-hour crisis line at 910-775-4749 or stop in for help.
Due to the ongoing investigation, all classes before 11 a.m. are canceled.
The students received emails, brave alerts and phone calls from the school to warn them about the active shooter.
Campus police gave the all-clear message almost an hour after the shooting and stated that the scene is now considered safe.