Shots reportedly fired at US university, suspect at large

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March 2, 2018 4:38 PM

The campus was on lockdown, classes canceled, and students were told to shelter in place, according to US media reports.

Shots have reportedly been fired on campus at a university in the US state of Michigan and the suspect is still at large, the school said Friday.

"There has been a report of shots fired at Campbell Hall on campus. Suspect is still at large, police advise all to take shelter," Central Michigan University said in an alert on its website and on Twitter.

The City of Mount Pleasant, where the campus is located, said the suspect was a black male and considered "armed and dangerous."

The shooting took place on the fourth floor of a campus dormitory, according to WDIV television.

The incident came two weeks after 17 people were shot dead at a Florida high school, sparking a renewed debate over pervasive gun violence.

Students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland have made powerful appeals for change to permissive US gun laws in the wake of the shooting. They returned to campus Wednesday amid heavy security.

The Florida gunman, who had a history run-ins with law enforcement, used a semi-automatic assault rifle in the shooting.

President Donald Trump had called for training and arming some teachers, tougher background checks and a potential increase to the minimum age for rifle purchases.

But the powerful National Rifle Association gun lobby said that Trump was opposed to gun control after meeting with him on Thursday.

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