Chief Jeff Baker of the UNCC Police and Public Safety Department said at a news conference that three of those injured were in critical condition. The fourth had less serious injuries, he said.
The police disarmed the suspect and took him into custody at a building on campus, Baker said. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department identified the suspect as Trystan Andrew Terrell, 22, and said that charges were pending against him. The police declined to elaborate on a possible motive for the shooting.
“One officer immediately went to the suspect to take him down,” Baker said.
He said the gunman did not say anything when he was taken into custody. “Our officers’ actions definitely saved lives,” he said.
Just before 6 p.m. Eastern time, the campus’ office of emergency management reported that shots were fired near the Kennedy Building, an administrative building in the middle of campus.
It was the final day of classes for the school year, with graduation ceremonies scheduled for early May. Some students were getting ready for the summer break, and some were preparing to attend an on-campus concert featuring rapper Waka Flocka Flame, which was canceled after the shooting.
Joan F. Lorden, the school’s provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs, said at a news conference late Tuesday evening that the school had canceled final exams through Sunday.
“From today through the weekend,” she said, “everything academic is essentially canceled.”
Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina said at the news conference that the state would take a “hard look” at how such shootings could be prevented in the future.
“This is a tough day, but this university will get through it,” Cooper said. “One thing I do know is a student should not have to fear for his or her life when they are on our campuses.”
UNC Charlotte is a public university with an enrollment of about 30,000. It is the largest postsecondary educational institution in the Charlotte area.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.