Reports: Shooter kills Texas Tech police officer

A lockdown at Texas Tech University was lifted Monday night after police apprehended a person suspected of killing a campus police officer.

The university confirmed around 9:30 p.m. that Lubbock police had taken the suspected shooter into custody and that the lockdown on campus had been lifted.

The suspect has been identified as Hollis Daniels, a 19-year-old freshman from Seguin, according to the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.

“A shooting has been reported at TTU Police Department,” Tech’s Twitter account tweeted at 7:23 p.m. “Shooter is at large. The campus is on lockdown. Take shelter.” Then at 7:51, it tweeted: “The current situation is ongoing. Continue to shelter in place.”

A Tech official said in a statement that the incident began when campus police found evidence of drugs in a student’s room during a welfare check. “Officers brought the suspect to the police station for standard debriefing. During this time, the suspect pulled a gun and shot an officer in the head. The officer is deceased. The suspect fled on foot and is currently still at-large.”

The officer’s name has not yet been released.

“First and foremost, our hearts go out to the family of the police officer killed at Texas Tech University,” Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement after the suspect was taken into custody. “As the Texas Tech campus deals with this heartbreaking tragedy, Cecilia and I pray for the continued safety of the students and the entire community.”

Texas Tech officials put out statements late Monday expressing their condolences, including President Lawrence Schovanec and system Chancellor Robert Duncan.

The incident occurred a little more than a year after a controversial state law went into effect that allows licensed individuals to carry concealed weapons on public university campuses. However, a person must be at least 21 years old or an active military member to obtain a CHL; Daniels is reportedly 19, and it was not immediately known whether he was a member of the military.

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