Michigan man parks car illegally outside of Supreme Court after being arrested in October for similar actions

Michigan man parks car illegally outside of Supreme Court after being arrested in October for similar actions
Michigan man parks car illegally outside of Supreme Court after being arrested in October for similar actions
Drew Angerer/Getty Images

(WASHINGTON) — A man who was arrested for parking his car illegally, for failure to obey and assault on a police officer, has returned and parked his Chevy Tahoe once again in front of the Supreme Court building Thursday, Capitol Police said in a tweet.

Dale Paul Melvin of Kimball, Michigan, was outside of the Supreme Court, when he was arrested in October also for illegally parking and refusing to leave, Capitol Police had said in a statement at the time.

U.S. Capitol Police say Melvin used some “concerning language” on public social media postings shortly before he showed up in font of the Supreme Court, a statement released by the agency said.

“Our officers and agents are focused on our critical mission,” said USCP Chief Tom Manger. “I applaud them for their keen observation and for not taking any chances when it comes to safety and security.”

Capitol Police says after some discussion the 58-year-old was not arrested and agreed to leave the area.

Melvin told Capitol Police in October: “The time for talking is over.” He then had to physically be removed from the car after speaking with Capitol Police investigators, authorities said.

Capitol Police said roads are back open after witnesses saw Melvin hold up a letter, then promptly drive away after he parked his car illegally in front of the Supreme Court.

Roads around the Supreme Court and U.S. Capitol are clear, police said.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Massive winter storm slams Midwest, South before taking aim on Northeast

Massive winter storm slams Midwest, South before taking aim on Northeast
Massive winter storm slams Midwest, South before taking aim on Northeast
ABC News

(NEW YORK) — A massive winter storm is pushing east, blasting the Midwest with snow and the South with ice — and now taking aim on the Northeast.

Over 4,000 flights have been canceled as of Thursday morning — the biggest flight cancellation day of the year. Dallas, Chicago and Austin are the most impacted cities.

The snow has already pummeled Chicago and St. Louis. Governors in Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma and Kentucky have declared states of emergency.

More heavy snow is expected from St. Louis to Indianapolis to Cleveland on Thursday. Six to 12 inches of snow is forecast for Indiana and Ohio.

Arkansas, Tennessee and Kentucky could see a thick layer of ice and possible power outages.

In Texas, officials are urging residents to stay home as ice and snow accumulate on roads. More than 50,000 customers are without power in Texas and the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport has suspended operations as the state tackles a winter storm dropping snow, sleet and ice.

The snow is also stretching into western Pennsylvania, New York state and northern New England. Ice accumulation is expected in Pennsylvania, the Hudson Valley and southeastern New England where some power outages are possible.

On Friday, the storm heads to the Interstate 95 corridor. Freezing rain and falling temperatures could cause very icy roads in Boston and the New York City area.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

COVID-19 live updates: New Orleans requiring vaccination for schoolchildren

COVID-19 live updates: New Orleans requiring vaccination for schoolchildren
COVID-19 live updates: New Orleans requiring vaccination for schoolchildren
Catherine McQueen/Getty Images

(NEW YORK) — As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.7 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 894,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering.

About 63.9% of the population in the United States is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:

Feb 03, 9:46 am
Medicare to start paying for at-home COVID-19 tests

Medicare will cover the cost of at-home COVID-19 testing kits starting this spring, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced Thursday.

It will be the first time that Medicare has covered an over-the-counter test at no cost to beneficiaries. The new initiative will enable payment from Medicare directly to participating pharmacies and retailers to allow beneficiaries to pick up the at-home testing kits for free, according to CMS, a federal agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that administers the Medicare health insurance program and works in partnership with state governments to administer the Medicaid assistance program.

CMS said it “anticipates that this option will be available to people with Medicare in the early spring.”

Last month, the U.S. government began requiring health insurers to pay for at-home COVID-19 tests. But that directive did not initially extend to Medicare, which provides health insurance coverage for Americans ages 65 and up, as well as some younger individuals with disabilities.

Feb 02, 4:49 pm
White House prepping to send out COVID-19 vaccines for kids under 5

Vaccines will be made available to the 18 million kids between the ages of 6 months and 5 years “in short order” if they’re authorized and recommended by FDA and CDC later this month, White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients said at Wednesday’s White House briefing.

“We’ve already secured ample doses and the necessary needles and supplies specially made for kids in this age group. Following FDA authorization, we would immediately begin packing and shipping doses to states and health care providers,” Zients said. “And in short order following CDC recommendations, parents will be able to get their kids under 5 vaccinated.”

Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser to the White House, said parents should feel confident that the FDA would only approve the vaccine if it was effective and safe.

“We are anticipating that we will get a good efficacy signal for the use of vaccines in children under 5 years old,” he said, adding, “But let’s wait for the FDA determination and, ultimately, the CDC recommendation.”

Pfizer and BioNTech on Tuesday asked the FDA for emergency use authorization for their COVID-19 vaccine for children under 5. Pfizer and BioNTech said they’ve submitted data for two doses but expect the vaccine to be a three-dose series, and that the data for the third dose will be provided in the coming months.

The FDA’s advisory committee will meet on Feb. 15 to review the Pfizer vaccine for use in children under the age of 5. The advisory committee is an independent group whose vote is nonbinding, but the FDA takes it into consideration when making a final decision.

The vaccine would then need to be authorized by the FDA. The CDC advisory committee would then need to meet for recommendations, and it would also need to be approved by CDC director Rochelle Walensky.

-ABC News’ Cheyenne Haslett

Feb 02, 4:05 pm
More than 100,000 Americans have died from COVID since Thanksgiving

Since Thanksgiving, there have been more than 100,000 confirmed COVID-19-related deaths in the U.S., according to federal data.

The U.S. is reporting an average of nearly 2,300 new COVID-19-related deaths each day, the federal data show.

However, the nation’s death toll remains significantly lower than last winter when the U.S. peaked at about 3,400 deaths per day.

About 126,000 Americans with COVID-19 are currently in hospitals — down from 160,000 patients at the nation’s peak 13 days ago.

But 14 states are struggling with ICU capacities of 15% or less: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Texas.

-ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos

Feb 02, 3:10 pm
US Army will ‘immediately’ discharge unvaccinated soldiers

The U.S. Army “will immediately begin separating Soldiers from the service who refuse to be vaccinated,” the Army announced in a press release.

“Army readiness depends on Soldiers who are prepared to train, deploy, fight and win our nation’s wars,” Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth said. “Unvaccinated Soldiers present risk to the force and jeopardize readiness. We will begin involuntary separation proceedings for Soldiers who refuse the vaccine order and are not pending a final decision on an exemption.”

The Army was the last of the military services to say it would remove service members who didn’t comply with the Secretary of Defense’s mandatory vaccination order. In the fall, the Army issued temporary guidance that soldiers who didn’t get vaccinated would be “flagged” so they would lose a command, not be promoted or would only remain until their contracts expired.

Under the earlier flagging policy, six commanders were removed from command, and 3,073 soldiers received reprimands. Wednesday’s announcement begins the discharge process for those 3,073 soldiers.

According to Army statistics, 96% of the Army’s approximately 475,000 soldiers are fully vaccinated, and 97% have received at least one dose.

-ABC News’ Luis Martinez

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

COVID-19 live updates: Medicare to start paying for at-home tests

COVID-19 live updates: New Orleans requiring vaccination for schoolchildren
COVID-19 live updates: New Orleans requiring vaccination for schoolchildren
Catherine McQueen/Getty Images

(WASHINGTON) — As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.7 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 894,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering.

About 63.9% of the population in the United States is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:

Feb 03, 9:46 am
Medicare to start paying for at-home COVID-19 tests

Medicare will cover the cost of at-home COVID-19 testing kits starting this spring, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced Thursday.

It will be the first time that Medicare has covered an over-the-counter test at no cost to beneficiaries. The new initiative will enable payment from Medicare directly to participating pharmacies and retailers to allow beneficiaries to pick up the at-home testing kits for free, according to CMS, a federal agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that administers the Medicare health insurance program and works in partnership with state governments to administer the Medicaid assistance program.

CMS said it “anticipates that this option will be available to people with Medicare in the early spring.”

Last month, the U.S. government began requiring health insurers to pay for at-home COVID-19 tests. But that directive did not initially extend to Medicare, which provides health insurance coverage for Americans ages 65 and up, as well as some younger individuals with disabilities.

Feb 02, 4:49 pm
White House prepping to send out COVID-19 vaccines for kids under 5

Vaccines will be made available to the 18 million kids between the ages of 6 months and 5 years “in short order” if they’re authorized and recommended by FDA and CDC later this month, White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients said at Wednesday’s White House briefing.

“We’ve already secured ample doses and the necessary needles and supplies specially made for kids in this age group. Following FDA authorization, we would immediately begin packing and shipping doses to states and health care providers,” Zients said. “And in short order following CDC recommendations, parents will be able to get their kids under 5 vaccinated.”

Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser to the White House, said parents should feel confident that the FDA would only approve the vaccine if it was effective and safe.

“We are anticipating that we will get a good efficacy signal for the use of vaccines in children under 5 years old,” he said, adding, “But let’s wait for the FDA determination and, ultimately, the CDC recommendation.”

Pfizer and BioNTech on Tuesday asked the FDA for emergency use authorization for their COVID-19 vaccine for children under 5. Pfizer and BioNTech said they’ve submitted data for two doses but expect the vaccine to be a three-dose series, and that the data for the third dose will be provided in the coming months.

The FDA’s advisory committee will meet on Feb. 15 to review the Pfizer vaccine for use in children under the age of 5. The advisory committee is an independent group whose vote is nonbinding, but the FDA takes it into consideration when making a final decision.

The vaccine would then need to be authorized by the FDA. The CDC advisory committee would then need to meet for recommendations, and it would also need to be approved by CDC director Rochelle Walensky.

-ABC News’ Cheyenne Haslett

Feb 02, 4:05 pm
More than 100,000 Americans have died from COVID since Thanksgiving

Since Thanksgiving, there have been more than 100,000 confirmed COVID-19-related deaths in the U.S., according to federal data.

The U.S. is reporting an average of nearly 2,300 new COVID-19-related deaths each day, the federal data show.

However, the nation’s death toll remains significantly lower than last winter when the U.S. peaked at about 3,400 deaths per day.

About 126,000 Americans with COVID-19 are currently in hospitals — down from 160,000 patients at the nation’s peak 13 days ago.

But 14 states are struggling with ICU capacities of 15% or less: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Texas.

-ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos

Feb 02, 3:10 pm
US Army will ‘immediately’ discharge unvaccinated soldiers

The U.S. Army “will immediately begin separating Soldiers from the service who refuse to be vaccinated,” the Army announced in a press release.

“Army readiness depends on Soldiers who are prepared to train, deploy, fight and win our nation’s wars,” Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth said. “Unvaccinated Soldiers present risk to the force and jeopardize readiness. We will begin involuntary separation proceedings for Soldiers who refuse the vaccine order and are not pending a final decision on an exemption.”

The Army was the last of the military services to say it would remove service members who didn’t comply with the Secretary of Defense’s mandatory vaccination order. In the fall, the Army issued temporary guidance that soldiers who didn’t get vaccinated would be “flagged” so they would lose a command, not be promoted or would only remain until their contracts expired.

Under the earlier flagging policy, six commanders were removed from command, and 3,073 soldiers received reprimands. Wednesday’s announcement begins the discharge process for those 3,073 soldiers.

According to Army statistics, 96% of the Army’s approximately 475,000 soldiers are fully vaccinated, and 97% have received at least one dose.

-ABC News’ Luis Martinez

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

5 persons of interest in HBCU bomb threat investigation: Source

5 persons of interest in HBCU bomb threat investigation: Source
5 persons of interest in HBCU bomb threat investigation: Source
Drew Angerer/Getty Images

(WASHINGTON) — The persons of interest were connected to spoofed calls – emanating from a fake telephone number, the FBI official said, according to the source familiar with the contents of a call between FBI and DHS officials and state and local law enforcement on Tuesday.

No bombs have been found.

During the call, the federal officials went into more detail about the nature of the bomb threats, which started in early January, and the most recent, which occurred Monday against HBCUs and other universities, according to the source.

In the past few days, the FBI reported over 20 bomb threats to HBCU’s and other institutions — from Howard University in Washington, D.C. to Jackson State University in Jackson, Mississippi.

Several of the schools canceled classes amid concerns about the threats.

The FBI on Wednesday said it is investigating the bomb threats to predominantly HBCUs as hate crimes, according to a statement released by the Bureau.

“Although at this time no explosive devices have been found at any of the locations, the FBI takes all threats with the utmost seriousness and we are committed to thoroughly and aggressively investigating these threats,” the statement says.

They FBI says investigation is being coordinated with 20 FBI field offices and is the “highest priority” for the Bureau.

The first threat against the HBCUs came against Xavier University of Louisiana on Jan. 4, and according to the FBI official briefing state and local law enforcement, it was racially motivated.

Following that threat in early January, two Black churches were also targeted with bomb threats – none came to fruition.

There were also three bomb threats against Jewish facilities on the last day in January, but officials aren’t clear if those are connected, according to a source briefed on the contents of the law enforcement call.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Suspect in deadly Bridgewater College shooting was former student: Court records

Suspect in deadly Bridgewater College shooting was former student: Court records
Suspect in deadly Bridgewater College shooting was former student: Court records
WCAV-TV

(BRIDGEWATER, Va.) — The suspect in a shooting on a Virginia college campus that left two officers dead was a former student at the institution, according to court documents.

Andrew Wyatt Campbell, 27, faces multiple felony charges, including two counts of capital murder, in connection with Tuesday’s shooting at Bridgewater College.

A campus police officer and a campus safety officer were fatally shot after responding to a call of a “suspicious male individual” on the grounds of the college’s Memorial Hall, Virginia State Police spokesperson Corinne Geller told reporters Tuesday.

Geller did not elaborate on any connections between the alleged shooter and the small, private liberal arts college. However, in court records obtained by Harrisonburg, Virginia, ABC affiliate WHSV, authorities noted that Campbell had dropped out of Bridgewater College.

Bridgewater College confirmed with WHSV that Campbell, of Ashland, Virginia, was once a member of the college’s track and field and cross country teams. He attended the school from 2013 to 2017, a school spokesperson told The Associated Press.

In 2017, Campbell was charged with trespassing for entering the campus’ Kline Campus Center, the school’s main dining hall, “after being banned,” an arrest warrant at the time stated.

Several college employees called 911 Tuesday after seeing the suspect in and around the college’s Memorial Hall. “He was not supposed to be in this particular location,” Geller told reporters.

Campbell was charged with two felony counts of capital murder, one felony count of first-degree murder, one felony count of use of a firearm in the commission of a felony and aggravated felony murder of more than one person within three years in connection with the shooting, court records show. He is being held without bond at the Rockingham County Jail.

The suspect made his first court appearance Wednesday via video conference for an arraignment in Harrisonburg/Rockingham General District Court. His attorney requested that Campbell undergo a mental health evaluation, WHSV reported. His next court appearance is scheduled for Feb. 16 at 1 p.m.

Police are investigating a motive in the shooting, which killed Bridgewater College Campus Police Officer John Painter, 55, and Campus Safety Officer Vashon “JJ” Jefferson, 48.

Painter joined the department in May 2019 after retiring as chief of the Grottoes Police Department in Virginia, and Jefferson joined in August 2018.

The two were close friends and known to many as the “dynamic duo,” according to Bridgewater College President David Bushman.

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin ordered that flags in the state be flown at half-staff Wednesday “in respect and memory of the officers lost.”

In the wake of the tragedy, Bridgewater canceled classes for the remainder of the week and gathered to sing the school’s alma mater Wednesday.

Bushman told ABC News’ Pierre Thomas in an interview Wednesday that the tight-knit campus community is suffering an “unspeakable” loss.

“We’ve navigated a pandemic together and it’s almost like you’re getting back to normal. And then it’s just, it’s unimaginable,” Bushman said.

“In so many ways this hurts so deeply because we are a tight community, but that’s also our greatest strength,” he said. “And that’s why I know we know we will grieve together and will heal.”

The officers were “always together” and on a first-name basis with students, the president said.

Bridgewater College sophomore Jack Cataneo, 20, told ABC News the incident feels “like a bad dream.”

“It really makes you think because it could happen to anybody,” he said.

ABC News’ Quinn Owen, Sarah Shales and Ben Stein contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Texas hospital fighting COVID-19 surge in community with high comorbidity rates

Texas hospital fighting COVID-19 surge in community with high comorbidity rates
Texas hospital fighting COVID-19 surge in community with high comorbidity rates
ABC News

(MCALLEN, Texas) — When 21-year-old, first-time mother Samantha Reyna arrived in labor at DHR Health Women’s Hospital in McAllen, Texas, she was stunned to learn that she was positive for COVID-19.

“I was actually completely shocked,” Reyna, who gave birth Sunday, told ABC News. “I didn’t think I was going to be positive while going into labor.”

Although Reyna has had minor symptoms, out of precaution, she and her husband made the difficult decision to keep her 1-day-old son, Santos, in the nursery, in an effort to keep him from catching COVID-19.

“It’s been a little sad, because I don’t have him here with me. I’m not able to be there for him in case he cries or anything,” Reyna said.

Although there are encouraging declines in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations across much of the country, many U.S. hospitals, including DHR Health, continue to struggle with significant numbers of COVID-19 patients in need of care. Many of these patients suffer from obesity and other comorbidities, such as diabetes and hypertension, which put them at increased risk from severe disease due to COVID-19, according to health care workers.

“Our population is a sick population. We have one of the worst levels of diabetes and obesity in the nation,” Dr. Federico Vallejo, a pulmonary critical care physician at DHR Health, told ABC News. “And as you know this, this can be really difficult for any population. So that’s why we saw incredible cases of sick patients, because our population has increased risk because of these comorbidities.”

A number of pregnant people, who are at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19 because of their pregnancy, are also coming in positive, hospital officials said, with between 10% to 15% of patients who are delivering testing positive.

Over the last two years, nearly 167,000 pregnant people tested positive for COVID-19, and at least 267 pregnant people died, according to federal data.

Throughout the pandemic, the emotional toll of testing positive has had a significant impact on expectant mothers.

“You could see the fear in their eyes, thinking they and their baby were going to die. Initially there was a lot of misinformation and fear from moms about ‘What do I do now that I am positive? Is my baby going to get it now that I’m positive, because I’m pregnant?'” Dr. Flor A. Limas, an obstetrician and gynecologist at DHR Health, told ABC News.

Available intensive care units in Texas are still running low, with 8% of beds currently available across the state.

“Omicron is supposed to be mild, but it’s not mild for the health care system,” Dr. Juan Sarmiento, a critical care intensivist at DHR Health, said.

Dr. Juan Marcos Chavez Paz, a critical care physician at DHR Health, added that though virus-related hospitalization numbers are slowly beginning to abate, his team is still not out of the woods yet.

“I think that we passed the tsunami, but we’re still having waves, some big ones coming, and I’m sure there will be more coming in the future,” he told ABC News.

According to Vallejo, a small fraction of the population in need of care are immunocompromised patients who have fallen ill despite being previously vaccinated.

“We’re seeing the poor souls that are collateral damage, those that did everything right, they got their vaccinations, but unfortunately they’re immunosuppressed because of different circumstances — organ transplants, cancer with chemotherapy — and those sadly get sick, despite the vaccine, but this is more of a fraction of them,” Vallejo said.

The physicians stressed that the vaccines have been a “game-changer,” explaining that the majority of their patients who are becoming severely ill are unvaccinated.

Reyna, who is unvaccinated, has now been reunited with her baby, and said she wants to get vaccinated, and is now considering the shot for her son, too.

“Without vaccines right now, we’d be in hell,” Sarmiento said.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

CNN president Jeff Zucker resigns, says he failed to disclose consensual relationship with colleague

CNN president Jeff Zucker resigns, says he failed to disclose consensual relationship with colleague
CNN president Jeff Zucker resigns, says he failed to disclose consensual relationship with colleague
Mike Coppola/Getty Images for WarnerMedia

(NEW YORK) — CNN president Jeff Zucker announced Wednesday that he’s resigning for not disclosing a consensual relationship with a colleague.

Zucker said in a note to employees, “As part of the investigation into Chris Cuomo’s tenure at CNN, I was asked about a consensual relationship with my closest colleague, someone I have worked with for more than 20 years. I acknowledged the relationship evolved in recent years. I was required to disclose it when it began but I didn’t. I was wrong.”

The colleague, who is not leaving the company, said in a statement, “Jeff and I have been close friends and professional partners for over 20 years. Recently, our relationship changed during COVID. I regret that we didn’t disclose it at the right time. I’m incredibly proud of my time at CNN and look forward to continuing the great work we do everyday.”

WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar said in a companywide memo that he accepted Zucker’s resignation and that he’ll announce an interim leadership plan soon.

“We thank Jeff for his contributions over the past 9 years,” Kilar said.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Major winter storm strikes from Denver to Chicago before heading to Northeast

Major winter storm strikes from Denver to Chicago before heading to Northeast
Major winter storm strikes from Denver to Chicago before heading to Northeast
ABC News

(NEW YORK) — A major winter storm is moving across the Heartland Wednesday, bringing snow from Denver to Chicago and ice as far south as Texas.

More than 1 foot of snow is expected from northern Missouri into Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Michigan.

A winter storm warning has been issued in Chicago where 5 to 10 inches of snow is expected.

A winter storm warning was also issued in Denver where up to 6 inches of additional snow is forecast.

Denver schools are closed Wednesday due to the storm.

As of Tuesday night, 1,212 flights were already canceled for Wednesday due to the storm, with St. Louis, Chicago, Denver, Detroit and Kansas City seeing the biggest impacts.

In Missouri, Gov. Mike Parson has issued a state of emergency.

Further south, an ice storm warning has been issued from Memphis to Louisville, where the ice could be as thick as half an inch, sending trees toppling onto power lines.

A winter storm warning was also issued for Dallas where ice could make roads very dangerous.

The storm will then move into the Northeast Thursday night into Friday morning, bringing snow, sleet and freezing rain.

Over 1 foot of snow is possible in western Pennsylvania, upstate New York and parts of New England.

A winter storm watch has been issued for Boston, where residents are still digging out from last weekend’s massive snowstorm.

Dangerous ice accumulation is possible from Washington, D.C., to Philadelphia to New York City to Boston.

New York City will see rain on Thursday which will then change to freezing rain and some sleet on Friday morning. The National Weather Service warns that New York City Tristate region should be prepared for dangerous travel conditions on Friday.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Two officers killed during shooting at Bridgewater College campus, suspect in custody

Two officers killed during shooting at Bridgewater College campus, suspect in custody
Two officers killed during shooting at Bridgewater College campus, suspect in custody
Oliver Helbig/Getty Images

(BRIDGEWATER, Va.) — A campus police officer and a campus safety officer were killed during a shooting at a Virginia college Tuesday afternoon after responding to reports of a “suspicious” person on campus, officials said.

Multiple agencies responded to Bridgewater College in Bridgewater following a report of an active shooter around 1:20 p.m. local time, school officials said.

The two officers were responding to a call of a “suspicious male individual” on the grounds of the college’s Memorial Hall, according to Virginia State Police spokesperson Corinne Geller. After a brief interaction, the suspect opened fire, striking both officers, she said.

The suspect fled on foot and was apprehended about a half-hour later off-campus, officials said. Officers followed the suspect after he waded into the North Rive, onto an island in the river, and he was taken into custody without incident, Geller said.

The two officers died from their injuries, Bridgewater spokesperson Logan Boger confirmed to ABC News. They were identified by the college’s president as Campus Police Officer John Painter and Campus Safety Officer J.J. Jefferson.

“Today our campus community experienced unspeakable tragedy. Two members of the Bridgewater College family were senselessly and violently taken from us,” Bridgewater College President David Bushman said in a statement.

“This is a sad and dark day for Bridgewater College. I know we all have so many questions and not many answers,” he said.

The officers were known as the “dynamic duo” and were close friends, Bushman said. Painter was Jefferson’s best man in his wedding this year, he said.

The suspect was identified by authorities as 27-year-old Alexander Wyatt Campbell, of Ashland, Virginia. He has been charged with felonies: 2 counts of capital murder, 1 count of first-degree murder and 1 count of use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, according to Geller, and is being held without bond at the Rockingham County Jail.

Campbell was treated for a non-life-threatening gunshot wound, according to Geller. It is unclear if he was shot by Painter, who was the only one of the two officers armed, or if it was self-inflicted, she said.

Multiple firearms “associated with Campbell” were recovered on and off-campus and seized as evidence, Geller said.

Virginia State Police did not comment on Campbell’s relationship to the college, but Geller said several college employees called 911 after seeing the suspect in and around Memorial Hall. “He was not supposed to be in this particular location,” she said.

A motive is still under investigation, and Campbell is the lone suspect, police said. It is unclear if he has an attorney.

Bridgewater Mayor Ted Flory said the community is “shocked by today’s senseless violence.”

“We are heartbroken by the needless injuries and loss of life. And we are rightly angered at the evil which alighted upon us,” he said in a statement. “But even in our grief, we turn our heads and we see the goodness of humanity: police officers running toward the danger, rescue personnel rushing in, and neighbors keeping each other safe.”

Agencies including the Virginia State Police, the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office and the Harrisonburg Police Department responded to the college following reports of an active shooter. The FBI was also sending agents to the scene, according to a spokesperson.

By 4:33 p.m., the university gave an “all clear” message on its website.

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin said in a statement on social media that he had been briefed on the situation and “will continue to monitor the situation in conjunction with law enforcement.”

Bridgewater, a small private liberal arts college, enrolled around 1,500 full-time students as of fall 2021.

Classes were canceled for Wednesday. School officials said they will provide information soon on grief counseling and other support.

The is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.