One person was killed and three others wounded in a shooting at an Arizona university early Friday before the gunman was captured, officials said, in the latest such incident in the United States.
The deadly shooting at Northern Arizona University (NAU) comes just over a week after the October 1 shooting rampage at Umpqua Community College in Oregon, in which a 26-year-old gunman shot dead nine people and then committed suicide.
The first emergency calls came through to police at 1.20am Friday, when most NAU students would have been in bed at the university campus in the city of Flagstaff.
The motive for the shooting -- just the latest at colleges and universities in the United States -- was not clear and the identity of the shooter and the victims was not immediately known.
"I can confirm that there was a shooting on our campus this morning. There is one victim, three are being treated at our local medical center and the shooter is in custody," NAU spokeswoman Cindy Brown told CNN.
"The incident took place in a parking lot adjacent to our Mountain View resident's hall on the northeast side of campus."
Students described how they were awoken by a university text message warning them of the shooting or by calls from worried friends and family.
"You don't expect that in Flagstaff. I never thought it would happen here," one student, Megan, told CNN, describing how her room was just yards from where the shooting took place.
Megan said fellow students frantically contacted one another.
"And we've been texting each other in group chats and making sure everyone is safe," she said.
"There is a huge community here and everyone is reaching out and making sure everyone's okay. Still anxious though not knowing who's involved."
The university will hold a press conference at 6.00am (1300 GMT), said Brown, who described NAU as a "gun-free zone" and said there was a police department on the campus of 20,000 students.
NAU sent out alerts urging residents of Mountain View Hall dormitory to stay indoors.
"Like many people, I was asleep," said Brown.
"But of course this is a very upsetting thing for anyone to receive in the middle of the night. Honestly, our thoughts are with the families of the victims right now."
President Barack Obama was to meet with families of the Umpqua victims in Roseburg, Oregon on Friday.
In the wake of the Umpqua killings Obama angrily called on Congress to do more and warned that failure to act on gun control was a "political decision," vowing to keep pushing for reform.
AFP
Sat Oct 10 2015
One person was killed and three others wounded in a shooting at an Arizona university early Friday before the gunman was captured. - Reuters
Motorcycling - Marquez wins Australian MotoGP after intense battle with Martin
The 31-year-old, third in the championship standings, has now won the Australian MotoGP four times in the premier class.
Prabowo takes up Indonesian presidency, vows to tackle corruption, other issues
Indonesia's Prabowo Subianto on Sunday took over as president of the world's third-largest democracy, vowing to combat internal issues
Nepal's Sherpas deserve more, says teenager who scaled world's 14 tallest peaks
Sherpas are known for climbing skills that make them the backbone of mountain expeditions.
Inside the underground lab in China tasked with solving a physics mystery
China will soon collect neutrino data, aiming to unravel one of particle physics' biggest mysteries.
Millions in Cuba still without power as major outage persists
Millions of Cubans remain without electricity because of a prolonged outage at the main power plants on the island, Anadolu Agency reported.
Surge in Gaza violence increases famine risk, monitor says
About 1.84 million people across the besieged Palestinian enclave are living through high levels of acute food insecurity.
Israel pounds Beirut and Gaza after rockets hit Israel's north
A drone was launched at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's holiday home.
Elon Musk promises to award $1 mil each day to a signer of his petition
He awarded a $1 million check to an attendee of his event in Pennsylvania aimed at rallying supporters behind Donald Trump.
Former special forces commander Prabowo to take up Indonesian presidency
Indonesia's Prabowo Subianto will take over as president of the world's third-largest democracy after sweeping the country's election with policies like free meals for school children
Father of Malaysian Islamic banking, Abdul Halim Ismail passes away
His dedication and pioneering spirit played an important role in shaping the journey of Bank Islam as well as leaving a lasting impact on the development of Malaysia's Islamic finance industry.
Zayn Malik postpones US tour dates after One Direction bandmate Liam Payne's death
Payne, 31, died on Wednesday after falling from a third-floor hotel room balcony in Buenos Aires, shocking fans of the boy band.
Why voters in a handful of swing states will decide the US presidential election
The contest will almost certainly be decided by just tens of thousands of voters a tiny fraction of the populace in a handful of states.
INSIGHT - Sudan's war risks 'lost generation' of children
A devastating crisis is unfolding in Sudan, where the most vulnerable members of society children are bearing the brunt of the violence.
Who is Prabowo Subianto, incoming president of Indonesia?
A wealthy ex-general with ties to Indonesia's popular outgoing president and its dictatorial past, looks set to be its next leader.
Trump says he would impose tariffs on China if China went into Taiwan
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said he would impose additional tariffs on China if China were to "go into Taiwan,"
Iran's supreme leader says Hamas leader's death will not halt 'Axis of Resistance'
The "Axis of Resistance", built up with years of Iranian support, includes Hamas, the Lebanese Hezbollah group, the Houthi movement in Yemen, and various Shi'ite groups in Iraq and Syria.
Putin says Russia willing to seek compromises between Iran and Israel
Russia is ready to help seek compromises between arch-foes Israel and Iran, President Vladimir Putin said on Friday, saying these would be difficult but possible.
What proposals will Russia push at the BRICS summit?
The proposal is also to establish a BRICS reinsurance company to allow uninterrupted shipment of goods and key commodities between members.
Indonesia's free meals plan in the spotlight as Prabowo readies for office
Prabowo calls the programme one of the main drivers of economic growth, eventually set to add an estimated 2.5 million jobs.
Astro AWANI's revamped English news website, AWANI International, launches on Oct 21
Astro AWANI's revamped English platform delivers in-depth global news and expert analysis to keep you informed on key developments.