Gunman Kills Himself on University of Connecticut Campus After Lengthy Police Stand-Off
A gunman spotted on the University of Connecticut’s Avery Point Campus shot himself during the early morning hours today. The unnamed gunman reportedly “spent hours” talking with police officers on a cell phone, the Norwich Bulletin reports. A man walking around on college grounds with a gun was spotted late Monday evening prompting the University of Connecticut Campus to be evacuated, according to Fox News.
UConn spokesperson Stephanie Reitz informed the media that a “despondent man” had threatened to “harm himself” before crawling beneath a dock on campus. It is yet unknown if the University of Connecticut gunman is a student or staff member on the Avery Point Campus.
The unnamed Connecticut gunman reportedly communicated with law enforcement officers throughout the night before committing suicide just prior to dawn breaking this morning, according to Connecticut State Police Lt. Paul Vance’s statements to the Norwich Bulletin.
Groton, Connecticut police officers started searching for the campus gunman at approximately 5 p.m. On Monday. The unnamed gunman’s vehicle was found near the campus at Avery Point at approximately 10 p.m. Police officers closed the University of Connecticut campus after locating the vehicle of the armed gunman.
Nearly 50 high school students on the UConn campus attending an oceanography camp were relocated to a different building on the opposite side of campus and placed under guard by law enforcement officers. University of Connecticut spokeswoman Reitz told the Norwich Bulletin the high school students were not in danger at any time. Avery Point is a University of Connecticut regional campus which houses the college’s marine science programs.
Police officers located the unnamed gunman near the shoreline, still armed with his handgun. After speaking with law enforcement officers for many hours, the campus gunman tossed away his cellphone and refused to respond to discussions with officers any longer. The University of Connecticut gunman reportedly began “waving his gun” in the air, prompting police officers to resort to non-lethal means to capture the man. Police officers fired bean-bags at the unnamed campus gunman and eventually released a flash bomb as a diversion.
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The efforts of the Connecticut police officers were unable to stop the campus gunman from turning his gun on himself – he was pronounced dead at the scene.
