Biology Professor Guns Down Colleagues in University of Alabama Campus

Three people were killed and three hurt when someone opened fire in a University of Alabama-Huntsville faculty meeting, officials said.

Photo: Biology Professor Guns Down Colleagues in University of Alabama Campus

A woman opened fire during a biology faculty meeting at the University of Alabama's Huntsville campus Friday, killing three people and injuring at least one more.

The shooter was in custody, but university spokesman Ray Garner said he could not identify her or the victims. Local television stations reported she is a faculty member.

Garner said three people were dead and a fourth injured. Trent Willis, chief of staff for Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle, said several other people had been shot, but he did not have an exact number or their conditions, The Associated Press reports.

According to Los Angeles Times, the attack took place about 4 p.m. at the university's new Shelby Center, a $60-million science and technology facility with labs, classrooms and two auditoriums. Police responded within one minute of the emergency call.

An e-mail alert was sent to students: "There has been a shooting on campus. The shooter has been apprehended. Everyone is encouraged to go home, classes are canceled tonight. . . . Counselors are available [on campus]."

The local Huntsville Times reports that a female biology professor has been taken into custody and her husband has been detained.

Erin Johnson, a second-year student, told the newspaper that a biology faculty meeting was underway at the university's Shelby Centre when she heard screams coming from one of the rooms.

Local television station WAFF, citing local authorities, says the shooter opened fire after learning at a biology faculty meeting that she would not be granted tenure.

College spokesperson Ray Garner says the three killed were the head of department and two other professors. He says two of those injured in the shooting remain in critical condition while a third is stable, Radio New Zealand reports.