Docs: UNC suspect threatened to kill someone at student union; also pointed gun in prior road rage confrontation

A Durham man was arrested Wednesday and charged with pointing a gun at someone at an on-campus bagel shop at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Arrest warrants show Mickel Deonte Harris, 27, was charged with felony carrying a gun on educational property. He was also charged with misdemeanor assault by pointing a gun and misdemeanor communicating threats.

Warrants state Harris had a gun inside the Graham Student Union, where the bagel shop is located. Warrants also state Harris threatened to physically injure a man by pointing the gun at him and telling him he "would kill the victim."

Harris appeared in court virtually on Thursday afternoon. Judge Hathaway Pendergrass appointed Harris a public defender and ruled his bond be increased to $50,000 from $10,000 "for the safety of the community." Should Harris make bond, he will be required to wear an ankle monitor.

During court proceedings, Assistant District Attorney Jill Harden revealed key details authorities found behind a possible motive.

"The manager mentioned he had terminated an employee earlier that morning and that her boyfriend, Mr. Mikel Harris, came to Alpine Bagel, pulled a 9-millimeter gun with a light attached and remarked to one of the victims 'I will blow your ... head off," Harden said.

Harris was arrested at 2:45 p.m. on Wednesday on Formosa Lane in Chapel Hill, north of campus, in connection with the incident that caused the university to be placed on lockdown for more than an hour.

Harden said a search of Harris' car and apartment resulted in finding a magazine for a 9-millimeter handgun, 13 rounds of ammunition, several gun receipts and other gun accessories.

Harris also had an outstanding order for arrest related to an assault earlier in September, according to warrants.

The Chapel Hill Police Department said Harris was accused Sept. 5 of threatening someone in a road rage incident on Old Durham Road near Scarlett Drive. No one was hurt, but investigators identified Harris and issued a warrant for his arrest, which came during Wednesday's incident at UNC.

A witness to the arrest described Wednesday's scene unfolded.

"I got up I looked outside and we saw multiple cops out there with guns, holding their guns up," neighbor said.

UNC Police Chief Brian James says that after the first call, officers responded quickly.

A source told WRAL News that the boyfriend of a former Alpine Bagel Cafe employee entered the cafe and waved a gun during a loud confrontation.

"We do believe the suspect had some type of connection with the worker, but we are still exploring that," James said. "We will have to find out through interviews and talking with the suspect himself."

Harris' next court date is Sept. 18.

Timeline: Gunman on UNC campus

• 12:45 p.m. A person in the UNC Student Union called police about an incident.
• 12:54 p.m. A campus lockdown alert was issued
• 2:45 p.m. Harris was arrested and taken into custody. The lockdown was lifted.

UNC gun suspect had previous charges for assault, cruelty to animals

Charges are pending regarding Wednesday's incident. He is also facing charges related to an assault on Sept. 5.

"We had an incident on Sept. 5 in the town of Chapel Hill road on Old Durham road and Scarlett," Police Chief Celisa Lehew, Chapel Hill PD said. "In which an investigation led us to seeking charges on assault related incident."

The police report states that the Sept. 5 incident occurred at the Carolina Blue Mini Mart. In this case, Harris is facing charges of assault by pointing a gun, communicating threats, and going armed to the terror of the public.

Tracy Weis was on the other side of Harris' actions in the road rage incident. Based on his interaction with Harris, Weis got the idea that Harris was "a very violent guy" based on how combative he was toward him despite Weis being 55 years old, fighting a cancer diagnosis and needing a cane to walk. Weis said Harris pulled out a gun at one point and told him he could take his life if he wanted. Weis said Harris also waved a bat at him.

"It's just a matter of time before he takes somebody's life," Weis told WRAL News. "He's a violent guy, a very violent guy. very unstable, extremely unstable. I saw that right away."

Court documents showed Harris was charged with assaulting a woman and causing her to lose consciousness in 2022. The charges were dropped because the woman did not appear in court. Harris also had a prior charge for cruelty to animals that was dismissed as well.

Support available to UNC students

UNC Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz urged any student needing help to access the university's resources.

"We want everyone to sort of process this, grieve in the way that they need to, and this situation, fortunately, as I've said, nobody was injured, but yet, twice in 16 days, there will be anxiety," Guskiewicz said. "And we just want to reassure everyone that we have the support systems in place to help."

Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) is available to any students who need to speak with a mental health provider. CAPS can be reached via 919-966-3658 or caps@unc.edu.

CAPS is available until 6 p.m. Wednesday in the Campus Health building to provide support to students who witnessed or were impacted by Wednesday's incident. After 6 p.m. Wednesday, students can call 919-966-3658 to speak to a mental health professional.

The university is also making resources available for employees. Employees can make appointments using their GuidanceConnect logins or by calling 877-314-5841 to make an appointment with a counselor.