A 20-year-old former student with a rifle entered a community college campus building Monday morning and killed a print shop director who had just arrived at work, school officials and authorities said.
The two men knew each other but it's not immediately clear what led to the shooting, according to authorities, who are searching for Kenneth Stancil, who had worked for the victim. Authorities do not believe the shooting was random.
Police have swept the Wayne Community College campus and think Stancil, a former third-year student, has fled. A manhunt involving helicopters and dogs, was underway.
The victim, Ron Lane, was a long-time campus employee. He was shot to death on the third floor of the Wayne Learning Center, which houses the cafeteria and library, school spokeswoman Tara Humphries said.
"There has been one fatality, and there is one shooter," said Kim Best, spokeswoman for the city of Goldsboro, where the school is located.
A student told The Associated Press that he heard a single gunshot and saw officers with their guns drawn storming into the learning center.
First-year student Jovaun Williams, 24, was climbing the staircase inside the building and had almost reached the second floor when he heard a single muffled pop.
It took a minute, he said, for him to recognize the sound was that of a gunshot. He didn't know where it came from.
"You hear a shot and my biggest things is, get out of there," he said. "It definitely wasn't where I was at, so that was good enough for me."
By the time he walked back downstairs, he saw police officers running into the building with their guns drawn.
The private Wayne County Day School nearby, with about 300 students in prekindergarten through 12th grade, was also on lockdown, said Melissa Watkins, a volunteer parent receptionist at the school.
Short link: