University of Utah Placed On Lockdown After Fatal Shooting
Oct 22, 2018, 10:44 PM | Updated: Oct 23, 2018, 1:08 am
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The University of Utah was placed on a “secure in place” after a woman was shot to death on campus. The suspect was still at large.
The lockdown was lifted just before midnight. Police planned to maintain a presence through the nights, but believed the suspect was no longer on campus.
SECURE-IN-PLACE LIFTED FOR CAMPUS
Police believe suspect has left campus and is no longer a threat to campus. Continued police activity throughout the night. Please avoid the Medical Towers area. Updates on https://t.co/sMi4tPwuZ7.
— University of Utah (@UUtah) October 23, 2018
Officials said they received multiple calls from people on campus about an incident around 9 p.m. Monday. When police arrived on the scene, they found a female victim who had been shot in a car.
The university sent an alert and posts on social media around 10 p.m. Monday.
Officials identified a suspect as 37-year-old Melvin Roland. They described him as a black male standing 6 feet 3 inches tall and 250 pounds. Roland was last seen wearing a grey beanie, black pants, white shoes and a white hoodie.
37-year-old Melvin Roland
Roland was last seen leaving the medical towers northbound on foot, officials said.
The woman, who was only described as a university student, apparently had some kind of previous relationship with Roland, but police did not have details about the nature of that relationship.
Witnesses told police there was some kind of dispute before the shooting.
U. officials are expected to provide an update at 11:30 p.m.
A large police presence could be seen on campus, as officers and K9 units canvased the area near the shooting and the surrounding area.
Many parts of the campus were still on lockdown. Around 11 p.m., approximately 1,500 people who had sheltered in place at Kingsbury Hall were released and asked to leave campus, avoiding the area where police were searching.
Officials asked people to avoid the medical towers overnight as they continued to process the scene and search for evidence.
