Early this morning, around 12 a.m., University Police Department officers responded to a gunshot fired inside Barbee Hall, one of N.C. A&T’s co-ed dormitories.
A N.C. A&T student and an acquaintance from off-campus were involved in an argument, which led to the single shot being fired. No one was injured.
Nicholas McCall, a student at the university, was charged with felony possession of a weapon on educational property, simple possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and molestation of a fire device.
According to the Guilford County inmate booking records, he was released Monday around 11 a.m.
Jaila Gibson, an acquaintance of McCall’s, was charged with felony possession of a weapon on educational property and felony firing a weapon into an occupied dwelling. She is being held in the Greensboro Detention Center without bond.
AggieAlert!, the university’s emergency notification system, emailed and texted students and families at 12:15 a.m. on Monday with updates on the situation. According to the alert, the scene was cleared at 12:51 a.m.
“The single shot that was fired went through a wall and into a room occupied by several students. Police continue to investigate the nature of the discharge,” said the University Police Department in an email. “Both the student and his acquaintance were charged with felony possession of a weapon on educational property, among other charges, and the acquaintance was also charged with felony firing a weapon into an occupied dwelling.”
Students who reside in the residence hall heard the gunshot.
“I was just talking with my friends and all of a sudden we hear screaming and yelling then the gun fire. Me and my friends froze for a second and knew exactly what we heard,” Barbee resident and freshman Brandon Rhodes said. “Knowing the police handled what happened – it makes me feel safer but knowing something like this could happen again just doesn’t make me feel safe.”
Parents with children who attend N.C. A&T admit that they feel that university officials do all they can to ensure the safety of students. Still, they also worry about their children’s well-being when such incidents occur.
“I understand how tough it is to monitor every single student on the campus, and I think the university does a good job of prioritizing safety,” said MaKeda Terry, an N.C. A&T parent. “However, I need to feel confident that my child will be safe. Incidents like this do raise some concerns about campus safety.”
Last year, the university held a campus safety forum after an N.C. A&T freshman was shot and killed at an off-campus residency less than a mile away from campus. At the forum, Chancellor Harold L. Martin, Sr. introduced new safety measures to improve campus safety. Those measures include:
- Implemented a new drone security system and an enhanced network of land—and police-based cameras with monitoring capabilities that improve police work to prevent crime and hold criminals accountable.
- Enhanced the number of law enforcement and security officers on campus who patrol our grounds and buildings and respond to student needs as they arise.
- Implemented a new personal safety app, Safe Zone, which is now available free of charge for iPhone and Android users. The app provides emergency assistance, including notification of law enforcement and more.
- Restricting motor vehicle access to the Student Center beginning at 9 p.m. nightly. Visitors to the Student Center will also be subject to show their Aggie OneID card upon security request and be required to leave the area if they cannot do so.
“Weapons are strictly forbidden on our campus. Any student who brings a firearm to campus risks the same felony charge that was given to both individuals in last night’s matter,” said the University Police Department in an email. “If you know of anyone in our residence halls, in our classrooms, or on campus grounds which has brought a gun to our campus, do the right thing by notifying the appropriate residence hall or UPD team member. If you see something, say something.”
This investigation is ongoing.
