One person has been killed after a shooting at Purdue University in LaFayette, Indiana that happened just before noon on January 21, reports RTV 6. The shooting, which is believed to have been targeted, locked down the entire college for hours, leaving panicked students secluded across the campus. It prompted a massive tactical response from local and state police.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. One Person Has Been Arrested
Cops have one person in custody, named as Cody Cousins, in relation to the shooting. Another tweeter who claimed to be on scene said that more people had been taken into custody at the cop’s mobile command center.
the cops rushed in and took this guy down right in front of me at Armstrong! pic.twitter.com/B0XsOCw9Fa
— Josh Yuill (@thee_jaytee) January 21, 2014
Local Police Chief John Cox told the media that Cousins was not co-operating with authorities but that he did give himself up without resistance when cops responded to the scene.
2. One Person is Dead
I text Boaz to see if he's safe at Purdue and he sends me this pic.twitter.com/EIcVBGIqLi
— Jordan Worth (@htrownadroj) January 21, 2014
According to Fox News, one person was killed, he has been named as TA Andrew Boldt. Students told the Lafayette Journal & Courier that they heard what they thought were two shots and that they saw a person with blood on their hands.
Justin Mack of the Lafayette Courier-Journal has said that he saw one person being treated by EMTs at the scene.
According to Daytona Daily News, Cousins lived in Clearcreek, Ohio and graduated Springboro High School in the state.
3. The Shooter ‘Targeted’ The Victim
According to local Police Chief John Cox, this was not a random attack, Cousins went directly to where he knew the victim would be and opened fire. The chief added that there were witnesses to the attack but Cox did not say if the shooting happened during an active class. This is believed to have been isolated incident.
Dude with big machine gun outside… I guess he's a cop? @jconline @LifeAtPurdue pic.twitter.com/rr4XJ6ZDjI
— Zach Rodimel (@zrodimel) January 21, 2014
Police armed with machine guns were seen surrounding the building. The college is reporting that police searched the engineering school room-by-room. One student said he saw at least ten cars outside the building with lights flashing and sirens blaring.
At around 4 p.m. on the day of the shooting, police and bomb squad raided a home at 333 West Stadium Avenue in West LaFayette, Indiana. Cops believe the suspect lived here:
4. The School Was Locked Down
@LifeAtPurdue Purdue police clearing area behind EE building pic.twitter.com/LMuIbAy1g5
— Chad Krockover (@BoilerKrock) January 21, 2014
People were advised to avoid the area, reports WISH TV. As of 1:35 p.m., the lockdown was lifted for the entire school except for the Electrical Engineering building. Students were reported to be making a b-line for the EE building after being released and snapping pictures.
Yo… stay inside purdue. That's a fully automatic weapon pic.twitter.com/AxYGIjdnH8
— Brennon Morning (@BigMorningWood_) January 21, 2014
The school released an official statement announcing the lifting of the lockdown:
The shelter in place directive for the Purdue University campus has been lifted, except for the electrical engineering building. The order was lifted shortly after 1:15 p.m. Tuesday (Jan. 21.). The campus was put on shelter in place notice after a shooting was reported in the electrical engineering building around noon. One person is in custody.
This web site is your resource for up-to-date information about campus safety. This informaton is maintained by the Office of Environmental Health and Public Safety.
UPDATE: No ongoing threat to campus. Resume normal operations. EE will remain closed. Check http://t.co/z8J0hDOiKI for updates.
— Purdue University (@LifeAtPurdue) January 21, 2014
down #staysafe #purdue #purdueshooting #breaking pic.twitter.com/ipQBBTsxA6
— Natalia Butla (@nabuttt) January 21, 2014
Officials at the Purdue campus in Fort Wayne, Indiana, are complaining that some of their students received the warning of a shooter via text, which caused confusion.
http://heavy.com/news/2014/01/purdue-engineering-school-shooting/
5. Purdue is One of Indiana’s Most Famed Universities
Purdue University is located just west of the town of Lafayette in Indiana. In October 1996, a grad student killed a dorm supervisor who had dimed the student to the cops on cocaine charges. The student used a shotgun in the attack.
The school’s electrical engineering building is shown here:
Classes had only re-commenced classes after Martin Luther King Day. According to The Journal-Courier, West Lafayette Community School district is not on lockdown but students were kept in over lunch.