University of Texas at Austin spokesman Don Hale told CNN that a man armed with an AK-47 fired shots then turned the gun on himself inside a campus library Tuesday morning.
“The armed suspect is dead. No other injuries have been reported,” UT President Bill Powers said in an email to students.
Witnesses spotted a man in a dark suit with a ski mask pulled over his face running in the direction of the Perry-Casteneda Library a little after 8 a.m. Professor Randall Wilhite heard gunshots on his way to class and saw students scrambling to safety. He told police he saw a man in a dark suit carrying what appeared to be an assault rifle, randomly firing shots as he ran.
An ambulance was seen just before 9 a.m. in front of the library; SWAT teams, armored vehicles and helicopters surrounded the campus, which has been closed.
“A suspected shooter in PCL library is dead. Law enforcement are searching for a second suspect. If you are off campus, STAY AWAY. If you are on campus, lock doors, do not leave your building,” an alert on the university’s emergency website said.
Due to conflicting descriptions of the man and what weapon he was carrying, police are searching for a possible second shooter.
Hale said the lockdown was part of the campus system in which the community is alerted through sirens, text messages and online.
“When something like this occurs we have a campus system that goes into effect. Sirens go off and a loudspeaker announcement is made across campus for people to stay in place and stay in the buildings they’re in. That’s the situation we’re in right now,” Hale said.
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