ELIZABETH CITY, Nc. — Monday morning, a small memorial was in place on the quad at Elizabeth City State University after a weekend shooting that left one person dead and multiple others injured.
“It’s nice that we can come and show our support and memorialize," said ECSU student Khasidy Boston.
Watch: 1 dead, several injured in shooting at Elizabeth City State University
Flowers, pictures, balloons, and a teddy bear made up the memorial Monday on the quad at ECSU.
“This is just traumatic for everyone," said Boston.
Khasidy Boston is one student who stopped by the memorial. She says she was at the event where the shooting happened.
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Joshua Smallwood is another student who stopped by the memorial and was also at the event.
“Glad we’re all here fore each other as a community. We’re still here praying for our group. None of this should’ve happened. It was senseless. It was senseless," Smallwood said.
As News 3 has reported, the university says the shooting happened early Sunday morning during a part of Viking Fest, which one student News 3 talked with Monday described as a spring homecoming.
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News 3 has reached out to the university, and both campus police and Elizabeth City police multiple times for comment.
In a statement, the university says, in part, "ECSU extends its deepest sympathies to all those affected by this tragic event and remains committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of the Viking community.”
In the early morning hours of Sunday, April 27, 2025, a shooting occurred at the center of campus at Elizabeth City State University (ECSU).
The incident took place following Yard Fest, part of the Viking Fest events held in the quad area. Six individuals were injured during the incident. Four sustained gunshot wounds, including three ECSU students. Additionally, two other ECSU students were injured during the subsequent commotion. Fortunately, none of the injuries are considered life-threatening, and all the injured were transported to a local hospital for treatment.
A 24-year-old man, who was not an ECSU student, was pronounced deceased. His identity is being withheld pending notification of his next of kin.
In response to the incident, the university implemented a campus lockdown and issued a shelter-in-place order for all students. The lockdown was lifted later on Sunday after law enforcement officials determined that the campus was safe.
The ECSU Police, along with the Elizabeth City Police Department, Pasquotank County Sheriff’s Office, Camden County Sheriff’s Office, and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, responded swiftly and are actively investigating the situation.
As a precaution, ECSU has increased patrols across campus, and access to the center of campus will remain restricted throughout Sunday.
Support services for students, faculty, and staff are available on Sunday at Bias Hall, University Suites, Viking Towers, and University Towers. On-call and after-hours counseling services are also available at 252-335-3275.
The investigation is ongoing, and anyone with information regarding the incident is encouraged to contact ECSU Police at 252-335-3266.
ECSU extends its deepest sympathies to all those affected by this tragic event and remains committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of the Viking community.
Boston feels safe on campus, and believes law enforcement in the area did the best they could, but she would like to have more law enforcement resources in the area.
“We shouldn’t have had to reach out to Camden County and Pasquotank County Sheriff’s Office and police department to come bring people up here," said Boston.
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Smallwood also feels safe on campus and is confident that safety will continue.
“I believe I’m fine. I believe everybody else will be fine because we have prayer with us," said Smallwood.
An optimistic outlook after an event that could easily create just the opposite.
