2 dead as unidentified person opens fire at Texas A&M University
Two people died and another got injured as an unidentified person opened fire inside the Commerce campus of the Texas A&M University on Monday. The incident took place at the Pride Rock Residence Hall, the local police said in a tweet. The surviving victim was taken to a hospital in unknown condition.
The shooter has not been identified yet.
Earlier, the police tweeted that they were investigating a crime scene and asked the campus community to shelter in place. The university later posted a notice on its website that the "precautionary shelter in place recommendations" have been lifted, but Pride Rock and the surrounding areas remain blocked off.
Classes were also cancelled for the day, the administration said.
Police are actively investigating, they said.
As of August 2016, those who hold a current and valid concealed handgun license in Texas are allowed to carry a concealed handgun on certain parts of the campus. Handgun licence holders are also allowed to store the weapon in a safe in their campus housing, according to the police.
Texas A&M's campus in Commerce, Texas, is over 200 miles north of Texas A&M's main campus in College Station. The university is home to thousands of Indian-origin students and several faculty members.
An analysis of student visa data suggests that in 2018 as many as 183,312 Indian students came to the U.S. to study at American colleges and universities. From this pool of 183,312, Texas A&M was home to approximately 1,607 Indian students.
