UNC Pembroke students got blank alert after shots fired near campus

Administrators at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke are trying to figure out why its student alert system sent out a blank message when shots were fired Wednesday afternoon at a nearby apartment complex.

The alert came out around 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, but some students said they didn't get the alert until 40 minutes after the shooting happened.

Resident Christopher Tamplen said his reaction to the Brave Alert was "Run if you can, hide if you can’t run, fight if you must."

“Me and my roommate just ended up going and sitting in his bathroom with kitchen knives, just in case,” he said.

Investigators said a former student was shot in the parking lot. He was later found dead off-campus at the Courtyard Apartments at 519 University Road in Pembroke.

A car had its windshield and fender shot up outside of Building 3 at the Courtyard Apartments. When the shots started, students said they scrambled to safety.

Student Rachel Carapella described the Brave Alert she received.

"It was blank," she said. "One of the emails came out blank. No one really knew what was going on, so we were just all confused."

The university said on Thursday that Khalil Alford was the former student killed in the shooting.

"Though not currently enrolled, his family indicated he had intentions of returning to his studies in the fall," the chancellor said in a statement Thursday. "It pains me deeply to know this opportunity, among many others, has been tragically cut short. I, along with other university leaders, have shared our condolences with his family, and we will continue to keep them in our thoughts, prayers and actions during this difficult time."

At a Thursday news conference, UNC-P Chancellor Robin Cummings and the university’s head of security acknowledged there was a problem with the message that was sent out through the school’s Brave Alert system.

"So, there was a delay in the report, and the first message that went out was blank," Cummings said. "But subsequently, we issued a message that was notifying the campus of the shooting and to be alert."

Authorities are investigating the death of the student.

The university’s administration said it is checking to see what went wrong with the alert system.

The following resources will be available Friday for students and staff:

Students

• The mobile crisis unit will be on-site at the UC Annex again tomorrow, February 9, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Licensed clinicians will be available. There is no charge for these counseling services, and your insurance will not be billed. No appointment is needed.
• In partnership with the UNC System, virtual counseling services will be available Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Please contact Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS) at 910-521-6202 to schedule an appointment or visit in-person on the second floor of the Brave Health Center. Crisis services are available in-person or through a 24-hour crisis line at 910.775.4749.

Faculty and staff

• The mobile crisis unit will be on-site at the UC Annex again tomorrow, February 9, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Licensed clinicians will be available. There is no charge for these counseling services, and your insurance will not be billed. No appointment is needed.
• Please contact the Employee Assistance Program or the Headspace Care App.

The State Bureau of Investigation continues to work with the Robeson County Sheriff’s Department and our UNCP Police to gather information on this incident. The university said it will provide another update Friday at 9 a.m.

A vigil will be held for Khalil at 6 p.m. on Tuesday.