Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
GOLDSBORO, North Carolina (AP) — A 20-year-old former student with a rifle entered a community college campus building Monday morning and killed a print shop director who had recently fired him, school officials and authorities said.
A manhunt was underway for the suspect, Kenneth Morgan Stancil III. Authorities were pursuing him on an open count of murder, Wayne County Sheriff Larry Pierce said. Authorities said they believe Stancil left the area but was still in North Carolina. They have not released a motive for the shooting.
Police have swept the Wayne Community College campus and think Stancil, a former third-year student, has fled. A manhunt involving helicopters and dogs, was underway.
The victim, Ron Lane, was a long-time campus employee. He was shot to death on the third floor of the Wayne Learning Center, which houses the cafeteria and library, school spokeswoman Tara Humphries said.
"There has been one fatality, and there is one shooter," said Kim Best, spokeswoman for the city of Goldsboro, where the school is located.
A student told The Associated Press that he heard a single gunshot and saw officers with their guns drawn storming into the learning center.
First-year student Jovaun Williams, 24, was climbing the staircase inside the building and had almost reached the second floor when he heard a single muffled pop.
It took a minute, he said, for him to recognize the sound was that of a gunshot. He didn't know where it came from.
"You hear a shot and my biggest things is, get out of there," he said. "It definitely wasn't where I was at, so that was good enough for me."
By the time he walked back downstairs, he saw police officers running into the building with their guns drawn.
The private Wayne County Day School nearby, with about 300 students in prekindergarten through 12th grade, was also on lockdown, said Melissa Watkins, a volunteer parent receptionist at the school.
___
AP reporters Matt Small in Washington, D.C.; and Martha Waggoner and Michael Biesecker in Raleigh contributed to this story.
___
Emery Dalesio can be reached at http://twitter.com/emerydalesio
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
