Delta State University Professor Shot and Killed While Sitting in His Office
A professor at Delta State University was killed Monday by an active shooter on the school’s campus.
According to the AP, the professor was sitting in his office in an on campus building called Jobe Hall when he was shot.
Officials have so far declined to identify the professor, who was pronounced dead earlier this afternoon. Via the AP:
Murray Roark, a deputy coroner in Bolivar County, says the professor killed Monday was a white man in his 50s. He would not identify the professor, who was killed in an office inside Jobe Hall.
University spokeswoman Jennifer Farish also declined to identify the dead person, saying it was still an “active situation.” It’s unclear whether anyone else is wounded.
It’s still unclear whether the professor was targeted or whether the shooter has been identified or apprehended—though it seems unlikely: the campus is still on lockdown.
Update 3:30 p.m.
The professor has been identified as Ethan A. Schmidt, an assistant professor of American history, the New York Times reports.
In the meantime, Mississippi police say they are searching for a second Delta State University employee, Shannon Lamb, who is currently a “person of interest.” The shooter has not yet been apprehended, and the campus reportedly remains on lockdown.
Update 4:00 p.m.
According to reports, Lamb—a 45-year-old geography professor at the university—is also a suspect in “the murder of a woman in Gautier this morning.”
