On April 19, N.C. A&T was put on a university lockdown due to an alleged gunman being on campus. The alleged gunman has asked to remain anonymous throughout this interview.

The day started just as any Friday would on A&T’s campus, students anticipating Fried Chicken Friday’s and the weekend to unwind. No one saw it coming, but a normal Friday routine turned into a university lockdown as an A&T professor reported seeing a man carrying a rifle into the General Classroom Building to the police.

After a campus-wide search, the lockdown reaching national news, surrounding universities and programs shut down, everyone was surprised to be informed the alleged gun was an umbrella.

“I was just going to class that day. I got dressed, grabbed my umbrella and headed to GCB,” he said. The alleged gunman expressed that when he was in class, he did not know that he was the reason that this was going on. His professor informed him that his umbrella resembled a sword.

When the allegation of a man carrying a rifle on campus was informed to students through Aggie Alert, students within the building were asked to stay in the rooms.

Stuck in the classroom with his peers and his professor, the alleged gunman thought that this situation was real. He did not think that he was the cause of the university lockdown.

“Sadly, it sounded like it could have happened,” he said. “I was afraid like everyone else. There was a guy with a gun in GCB and I’m in GCB, I did not know what to do.”

He continued, “I heard the description and thought it was not me because I did not have any of that stuff on so I was like it could not be me,” he said, referring to the 5’11” man being described wearing a blue jacket, blue pants, blue hat and a white shirt.

But once someone in the class asked what does a rifle usually looks like? He showed them how someone would hold a rifle. He realized that it was perfect, but continued to think he was not the man that was seen carrying the rifle.

After coming to the realization that he was the gunman being searched for, he instantly thought to never carry his umbrella again. “I’m sorry if I actually caused this,” he said.  

Since the lockdown, he has talked to a couple of his professors and one of his friends at another university about the event, but he has not addressed his parents on the matter. “I’m still going on with it. I’m taking responsibility for it, but I still do not know so I will not call my mom and put that pressure on her,” he said.  He expressed instead of an umbrella, he will just get a jacket.

The student expressed that he has not carried the umbrella since then and looking back at that day, he was taken back at it all. “I did not think this would happen, and I thought it was a vision gag like a simple umbrella looks like a sword . Turns out some people did not think it was funny, and it blew up like it did,” he said.

He has talked to the police about the situation. That same day he was stopped by a police officer and was questioned of what the umbrella looked like. He told the officer that it was indeed an umbrella. Later on, he found out the officer was looking for him to talk with the lieutenant to make sure it was not a rifle.

“I had to make sure that I stayed calm when talking to them,” he said. Though the matter was not severe, he stated that the possibility of a gunman on campus and the university shutting down was a direct result of past school shootings in the media.

“I want to say it is justified, but kind of overreacted,” he said. “I kind of understand what is going on, but also, I think everyone should have been a little more calm.”

He sexplained how people responded nonchalantly upon realizing tthe alleged rifle was an umbrella.  “If the person who had called in would have stated that it was not an rifle but a umbrella, things would have not gone that far,” he said. “Not saying every time you see something suspicious, go and find out for yourself because that might be dangerous, but don’t be so quick to jump to conclusions.”

The university lockdown was lifted at 12:25 p.m. that day with no casualties, and the university went back to normal scheduling at 2 p.m.

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• Erik Veal, Editor-in-Chief