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Monday, October 12, 2009
By K.A. WAGONER - Franklin News Post
Police are searching for a suspect in connection with an off-campus shooting early Sunday at Ferrum College.
Two male students were injured in the incident, which occurred shortly after midnight on Nolens Hill Road, outside a private apartment building near the campus, said Franklin County Sheriff Ewell Hunt.
The two students, both of whom suffered superficial leg wounds, were treated and released at a local hospital, according to Ferrum Public Relations Director Natalie Faunce.
The suspect is not believed to be a Ferrum student, Hunt said.
He described the suspect as a black male aged 18 to 20 who was wearing a white, short-sleeved shirt with a logo or writing on the front.
The students were shot with a small-caliber handgun, Hunt said. The motive appeared to involve a female student who was at a party at the residence, he added.
The apartment building is about a quarter of a mile east of the campus.
Another male student reported being assaulted by the suspect as the suspect fled the scene, the sheriff said.
The campus was not locked down, Faunce said.
“The campus police department and the sheriff’s department acted very quickly,” she said. “We did not feel the need to lock down the dorms. A key is required to enter the dorms, and we issued an alert to the residential staff and notified students.”
The notification read, “We are thankful to report that the two students who were injured by a handgun discharge last night in an off-campus incident on private property have been treated and released from the hospital. Officers from both the Ferrum College police department and the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department responded immediately and kept this an isolated incident. We remind students to be cognizant of personal safety at all times, particularly when attending non-sanctioned, off-campus events.”
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the sheriff’s office at 483-3000.
The names of the students involved have not been released, Officer Ryan King of the Ferrum Police Department said Sunday evening. The investigation is continuing, he added.
Martinsville Bulletin staff writer Amanda Buck contributed to this report. |
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