A former college track and field star named Alexander Wyatt Campbell has been accused of murdering two law-enforcement officers on the campus of Bridgewater College, in Virginia.
During a press conference on Tuesday night, Virginia Police released Mr Campbell’s name, as well as that of the two slain officers, John Painter and J.J Jefferson.
While the suspected shooter’s motive is currently unclear, police did disclose other information about 27-year-old Mr Campbell, who is currently incarcerated in Rockingham County Jail.
Police say Mr Campbell opened fire and shot both officers as they were responding to a call for a ‘suspicious male individual’
As was stated by Virginia police during Tuesday’s press conference, the active shooter incident began around 1.20 pm, with the police initially responding to a call reporting the behaviour of a suspicious male individual near the Memorial Hall on campus.
Following a brief back and forth, where the officers identified the suspect as Mr Campbell, he is alleged to have opened fire on the two officers, before fleeing on foot, police said. They add that a manhunt ensued, whereby a man fitting the shooter's description waded through a river and onto an island. Soon after, Mr Campbell was apprehended by police and taken into custody.
For hours, details were vague, but the campus was told quickly that there was an active shooter on campus. “Reports of an active shooter on campus. Shelter in place,” Bridgewater College tweeted in one of its first alerts.
Authorities recovered multiple firearms associated with Mr Campbell
According to a Virginia State Police official, a number of firearms associated with the suspect have also been seized, which were recovered both on and off-campus – perhaps from his last known address in Ashland. Mr Campbell has now been charged with four felonies, including two counts of capital murder.
In addition, the suspect also sustained a non-life-threatening gunshot wound, although investigators are still trying to work out whether this was self inflicted or not.
“He was in a location he shouldn’t have been,” a Virginia State Police official said in the news conference. Some campus employees noticed Mr Campbell and startled him, and the officers responded to that location.
“I have been briefed on the situation at Bridgewater College. The shooter is in custody and state and local police are on the scene. I will continue to monitor the situation in conjunction with law enforcement,” Governor Glenn Youngkin tweeted soon after it happened.
Mr Campbell had been a ‘stand-out’ athlete on the Bridgewater track team in the past
According to Curt Autry, a journalist with NBC12, Mr Campbell was a former student “who was once a stand-out on the Bridgewater’s track team”.
Autry also reported that Mr Campbell “ran track at Patrick Henry High School, and graduated there in 2013”. While at High School, he reportedly earned a record for the season in the 5,000 metres race.
The two officers killed were viewed as a ‘Dynamic Duo’
In the wake of the shooting, Bridgewater College President David Bushman put out a statement on Facebook, where he described officers Painter and Jefferson as a “Dynamic Duo” and “close friends”.
“Today our campus community experienced unspeakable tragedy. Two members of the Bridgewater College family were senselessly and violently taken from us. The sadness is palpable. Words are not adequate, not nearly so, to express the grief, sadness, fear and – justifiably – the anger we all feel,” he wrote.
“Campus Police Officer John Painter and Campus Safety Officer J.J. Jefferson were shot and killed on campus while protecting us. These officers were close friends, known to many of us as the ‘dynamic duo.’ John was J.J.’s best man in his wedding this year. They were beloved by students, faculty and staff. I hurt for their families and loved ones, as I know we all do.”
Mr Campbell lost his father at a young age
According to an obituary from 2009, Mr Campbell lost his father following a “long battle with brain cancer”, when he was just 15-years-old. The 58-year-old left behind a wife, as well as three sons, including Mr Campbell. His father, William E. Campbell, worked for many years at FedEx, according to a guest book post from someone claiming to be a former colleague of his.
“My thoughts and prayers are with you. Eddie (William) and I shared 23 years at FedEx, a lot of great times as we have many stories and tales in our time working together. We always laughed at how many people we have seen come and go through the years,” wrote Rob Camden in the guest book.
