Man in his 70s fired shots near mosque on Shaw University campus, Raleigh police say
RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — The campus of Shaw University was flooded with officers after the Raleigh Police Department said it received a call reporting an active shooter around 1:30 p.m. Tuesday.
A man, who police say is in his 70s, fired multiple shots on the campus and has since been taken into custody, police said. Raleigh police have told CBS 17 no one was struck by the gunfire and one firearm was seized.
The scene being investigated is at 130 Martin Luther King Blvd. in Raleigh. This is the location of the International Student Center where classes are taught on the first floor of the building and a mosque is on the upper level as well as faculty offices and a conference room.
Students said they heard the gunfire, but some didn’t realize at first that the sound of shots was coming from campus.
“I was in my room doing work. I heard four consecutive shots and I was just confused what happened,” said Amare Rasheed Simpson, a student at Shaw Univerity.
Fellow student Laroy Calhoun also heard the gunfire.
“I heard like four shots back to back to back,” he recalled. “I turned around and asked, ‘Was that gunshots?'”
Police said the man got into a disturbance with someone near the mosque before firing multiple rounds. Shortly after the gunshots rang out, students received the below alert by email.
Police an officer from the North Carolina Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission heard the shots and rushed across the street, holding the suspect at gunpoint until two Raleigh police officers could take him into custody.
A CBS 17 crew at the scene saw the man exiting an ambulance nearby with his hands cuffed in front of him around 2:20 p.m. He was then put into a police cruiser.
The man’s appearance matched the description that university employees shared with CBS 17 of a man they saw being led out of the International Student Center building in handcuffs.
Police have not identified the man at this time, but said he has been taken in by detectives for questioning. CBS 17 has learned that he is not a student but would frequently pray at the Mosque, which is called the Mosque of the Late King Khalid bin Abdul-Aziz Al-Saud.
The same building was a concern for activists a year ago, in April 2023, when CBS 17 reported that there was a group calling on the city to deny a rezoning request. This request was to turn the building which houses the mosque into a high-rise. This rezoning application came after the university decided to not reopen to mosque to the public after the pandemic.
A heavy police presence is at Shaw University after a report of an active shooter. (Maggie Newland/CBS 17) A heavy police presence is at Shaw University after a report of an active shooter. (Maggie Newland/CBS 17) A heavy police presence is at Shaw University after a report of an active shooter. (Maggie Newland/CBS 17)
As of 2:33 p.m., Raleigh police said there is no ongoing threat to the community.
Shaw University shared the following statement Tuesday afternoon:
All facilities at Shaw University are secure. The active shooter incident is resolved. The Raleigh Police Department has the suspect in custody.
All classes and other activities are cancelled for the remainder of the day.
Counseling services are available through the university’s Center for Health & Wellbeing.
Shaw University
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