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Tuesday, 24 April 2007 16:45 |
From Staff Reports
The UNC Asheville administration last Thursday notified the campus community ó via a campuswide e-mail ó that a potential threat was averted.
Specifically, a resident of The Grove apartments, who is not a UNCA student, notified a local media outlet that he was considering actions that could endanger the UNCA campus, the university noted in a news release last Friday. (The Grove is across Broadway Street from UNCA.)
The unnamed broadcast-media outlet reported receiving six telephone
calls in an hour early last Wednesday from the subject, whom officials
are not identifying.
The outlet immediately called law enforcement, prompting the Asheville
Police Department to take into custody an individual at his apartment
last Wednesday morning. He was taken to Mission Hospitals and, as of
last Thursday, was undergoing a mental-health evaluation.
ìThe university did not receive a direct threat,î the UNCA news release
stated. ìThere is no immediate threat to the campus community.î
The caller said he wanted to die and referred to the shootings at Virginia Tech and Columbine High School.
UNCA officials added, ìThe Asheville Police Department said the suspect
was not armed, did not have a gun permit and had no guns in his
apartment.î
The university noted that its security concerns regarding the potential
UNCA threat were heightened as a result of the April 16 Virginia Tech
tragedy, in which student-gunman Seung-Hui Cho reportedly massacred 32
fellow students and professors before killing himself.
ìThe safety and well-being of everyone on campus is always the universityís greatest concern,î UNCA noted.
ìThe university will remain vigilant in its efforts to provide a safe
and welcoming environment for all students, faculty, staff and
visitors.î
UNCA officials said they are working with the hospital, the police and
Grove representatives ìto monitor the situation and will take further
steps as necessary.î
The university noted that UNCA and Asheville ìare among many
communities across the nation that have experienced potential or real
copycat threats since the Virginia Tech shootings. Copycat threats have
occurred at dozens of colleges and kindergarten-12th grade schools in
more than 20 states.î
UNCA officials said that any further details or updates on the incident
will be e-mailed to students, faculty and staff, as well as posted
prominently on the universityís homepage.
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