A student was shot and killed Sunday in a dorm room at a Christian university in Eastern North Carolina.
Police said one student fatally shot the other student at Mid-Atlantic Christian University in Elizabeth City, N.C., some time before 1 p.m. The victim, identified as Jonathan Schipper, was pronounced dead upon arrival, according to a police report.
According to the university, the male student accused of the killing has surrendered himself to the police.
“This appears to be a personal matter between the two students,” reported Mid-Atlantic Christian University, formerly known as Roanoke Bible College, in a statement. “No other details are available at this time.”
Classes at the small Christian school, which has less than 200 students, were cancelled Monday. Local ministers and counselors, meanwhile, made themselves available to students, faculty, and staff in need of help during the difficult time.
According to the local WVEC news station, about 50 students were inside the Pearl A. Pressley dormitory when the shooting occurred. School officials moved the students to the library and the suspected shooter later surrendered himself to the police.
“This is a Godly place that had a very ungodly thing happen,” remarked Clay Perkins, president of Mid-Atlantic Christian University, according to WVEC.
In the official statement, the university said it extends “heartfelt sympathy to those involved and their families.”
“We ask that the community reach out to those individuals with their love and support,” stated MACU.
Mid-Atlantic Christian University was founded in 1948 and describes itself as teaching traditional conservative theological beliefs.
The victim, Schipper, was a sophomore in the Youth and Family Studies program and hailed from Havelock, N.C.
