UPDATED May 4, 2017, 7:30 a.m.., Pacific
A gunman opened fire in the Performance Hall Building at North Lake College in Irving, Texas late Wednesday morning, killing a woman.
For about an hour after the shooting, the attack was considered an active shooter situation until the gunman was found dead inside a locker room shower stall in Building F. He had taken his own life. Investigators suspect the shooting was a murder suicide.
“The Irving Police Department arrived on campus to assist North Lake College Police in a building-by-building search following reports of shots fired on campus,” said Dr. Christa Slejko, president of North Lake College in a press release. “As each building was searched and secured, law enforcement officers instructed students and employees to leave the building and exit the campus.”
The victim has been identified as Janeera Nickol Gonzalez, 20, and the gunman has been identified as Adrian Victor Torres, 21, reports CBSDFW. Although authorities say they do not know the connection between the two, Gonzalez’s family says Torres was stalking her.
“He had been stalking her for quite a while but she didn’t make anything of it,” Conzalez’s mother told WFAA.
RELATED: Stalking on Campus: A Silent Epidemic
Multiple news agencies are reporting that Torres shot Gonzalez three times as she sat in a chair.
When the initial shots were fired, students and campus employees followed lockdown procedures, reports NBCDFW. Additionally, a large number of students ran frantically from several buildings toward the parking lots. No one else was injured.
Emergency notifications were sent out via text, email and telephone.
Additionally, nearby Singley Academy and MacArthur High School were locked down.
North Lake College campuses will be closed for the rest of the week.
“This is an emotional time for the North Lake family,” said Slejko. “We’re heartbroken that such a tragedy has occurred on campus. We will address any needs for counseling on campus as soon as we re-open. North Lake students and employees followed lockdown procedures, and we are relieved that no one else was injured. We also offer our thanks to officers from the Irving Police Department, who partnered with North Lake College Police, to protect students and staff on campus.”
Photo: Thinkstock
