Two police officers guarding the premises of a small private university in the eastern US state of Virginia have been killed by gunmen who have now been arrested, local authorities say.
“We all have too many questions and too few answers” to the tragedy, Bridgetwater University President David Bushman said in a statement, stressing that the two victims, John Peder and Jay J. Jefferson, were friends, “dear friends. to teachers and staff “.
The two police officers intervened early yesterday afternoon when they were notified that a “suspicious” man was present on campus. After exchanging a few words, the man “opened fire on the two officers”, killing them, Virginia police spokeswoman Corinne Geller said during a press conference last night.
The perpetrator then fled before being arrested and his weapons confiscated, he continued.
The motive for the alleged perpetrator was 27-year-old Alexander Wyatt Campbell, a state resident, a former student at Bridgewater, a track and field runner who had broken the school record in the 5,000 meters while he was studying there, according to information transmitted by American media. unknown until now. He has a gunshot wound, which the law enforcement forces do not know so far if he suffered from any of the police officers he killed or if it was a case of self-injury.
The governor of Virginia, Glen Yangin, said in a statement that he was “heartbroken” by the “tragic loss” of the two men with the mission of “protecting students and teachers”. He ordered the flags to fly at half-mast today in the public buildings of the state in their honor.
Classes at the university have been canceled for today, explained the president of the educational institution.
The private university, about two and a half hours from the capital, Washington, has about 1,500 students and its security is guaranteed by a force of six police officers, according to its website.
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