UNC Chapel Hill faculty member killed in shooting inside Caudill Labs, Chancellor confirms

TEAM COVERAGE: A faculty member was shot and killed at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on Monday. A suspect is in custody.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (WTVD) -- A faculty member was shot and killed at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on Monday.

UNC Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz confirmed the news at 5:45 p.m. via a written statement to the UNC community. The faculty member's identity is not being publicized until the family has been notified.

UNC Police said the suspected shooter in the case is in custody, but the suspect's identity is not being released because formal criminal charges have not yet been filed. The weapon used in the shooting has not yet been found.

"The lockdown of the campus remained while police verified the suspect's identity and conducted a comprehensive search for the weapon that was used in the shooting, which at this time, has not been located," UNC Police Chief Brian James said.

Classes at UNC were canceled on Monday and Tuesday. Caudill Laboratory, where the shooting happened, will be closed until further notice.

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"I am devastated and saddened by today's shooting in one of our campus buildings, a place where we conduct our important work of teaching, mentoring and research every day. This shooting damages the trust and safety that we so often take for granted on our campus," Guskiewicz said in a statement.

James said the incident began at 1:02 p.m. when a 911 call alerted officers to a shooting inside Caudill Labs, which is located just across South Road from the Morehead-Patterson Bell Tower.

Alert Carolina issued an emergency alert and sirens on campus rang out at 1:04 p.m. Officers then arrived at Caudill Labs and found the victim.

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"This is the only fatality and no other injuries were reported," James said.

Another Alert Carolina message went out around 2 p.m. saying that the campus was on lockdown for "the active assailant situation."

James said the suspect was taken into custody at 2:31 p.m.

At 2:35 p.m., James' department posted a warning on social media about a person of interest wanted in the case.

The university remained on lockdown until 4:15 p.m.

"The lockdown of the campus remained while police verified the suspect's identity and conducted a comprehensive search for the weapon that was used in the shooting, which at this time, has not been located," James said.

James said the investigation remains open and active. He said it was too early to say what the motive was behind the shooting.

WATCH: Lockdown lifted after more than 3 hours

"We are committed to conducting a thorough investigation, and we will provide as many updates as we can," James said.

The suspect is believed to have been taken into custody north of UNC's campus. ABC11 crews spoke to people living in a neighborhood who described seeing police officers chasing a man through the neighborhood and eventually capturing him.

That man was handcuffed, placed into a police car and taken to the station. Police have not confirmed whether that person is the one suspected in the UNC shooting.

He was actually the second person taken into custody on the day. However, the first one was questioned and quickly released.

"There was another person that was detained, and we determined very quickly that was not the suspect," James said.

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