Two campus police officers were killed Tuesday in a shooting at Bridgewater College in Virginia.
A male suspect has been arrested and the school gave an all-clear notification to students who had been sheltering in place after the shooting around 1:20 p.m.
The suspect was apprehended about a half mile from the campus near the North River at around 1:55 p.m. after the shooting, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
Ecliff Graves, a witness, told the Times-Dispatch he saw a man running toward the river carrying a “heavy” duffel bag. After the man disappeared from Graves’ line of sight, multiple police officers ran in the same direction as the suspect and Graves heard a gun shot.
“I heard one little pop,” he said. “It sounded like a handgun. I said, ‘that’s sort of weird.’ "
According to the Times-Dispatch, a police scanner report said the suspect had been shot once.
The school identified the deceased as campus police officer John Painter and campus safety officer J.J. Jefferson, who were known as “the dynamic duo.” The school added that the two men were close friends.
The school said it was safe to move about the campus at 4:30 p.m. Earlier it had warned students through email and social media.
“This is not a test. More info to follow,” the school tweeted after initial reports of an active shooter.
Bridgewater College is a liberal-arts college with about 1,500 students about 140 miles southwest of Washington D.C.
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