A
freshman accused of shooting four fellow students at Northern Arizona
University has been charged with one count of first-degree murder and
three counts of felony aggravated assault.
Steven
Jones, 18, said "Yes" when a Coconino County judge asked him over a
video feed Friday afternoon if he understood the charges. Bail was set
at $2 million.
Prosecutors
said Jones was involved in a fight with other students around 1:20 a.m.
Friday and ran to his car where he picked up a handgun. This is not a
case of self-defense, the prosecution said.
Colin Brough was killed and Nicholas Piring, Nicholas Prato and Kyle Zientek were wounded, the university said.
University Police Chief Gregory T. Fowler said at a morning news conference that Jones was cooperating with investigators.
Fowler said it appeared the victims had been shot multiple times.
The
victims were all members of the Delta Chi fraternity, the organization
said Friday. The suspected gunman was a pledge in another fraternity --
Sigma Chi, according to that organization's national office.
"We
are deeply saddened by this tragedy and our thoughts and prayers are
with the friends and family of the victims, as well as the entire
community in Flagstaff," Delta Chi said in a statement. The organization
said it was seeking the university's help in providing counseling to
its members.
Sigma Chi Executive Director Michael Church sent his condolences to the victims.
"Our
hearts and prayers are with the family and friends of the individual
killed and those who were injured," he said. Church added that the
incident was "in no way associated with any chapter event," but the
chapter has been suspended and Jones removed from the pledge program.
University President Rita Cheng said the school had experienced "a terrible tragedy."
"This is not going to be a normal day at NAU," she told reporters. "Our hearts are heavy."
Students shaken up
Students,
appearing weary and shocked, attended a morning news conference on the
shooting. Some questioned why it took more than an hour after the
shooting for text notifications warning of danger to go out to the
university community.
Junior Megan
Aardahl told CNN she awoke to text messages from the school and her
family checking to see if she was OK. She said the incident rattled her
and other students.
"There's a huge
sense of community here, so everyone's just trying to like reach out and
make sure everyone's OK, but it's a little anxious not knowing who's
involved," she said.
Fowler said he
couldn't immediately explain the messaging delays but said officers sent
initial alerts out of an abundance of caution even though the situation
was under control and there was no danger to students.
Gov. Doug Ducey pledged state support to help police investigate the shooting and to help those injured recover.
"This
heartbreaking incident will impact many of our fellow citizens, and I
ask all Arizonans to keep them and the family of the individual lost in
their thoughts and prayers as they cope with this tragedy," he said.
Sen. John McCain, an Arizona Republican, also issued a statement.
"My
thoughts and prayers are with families of the person who was killed and
the three others who were wounded in the horrific shooting on the
campus of Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff early this morning,"
he said. "I appreciate the efforts of all state and local law
enforcement officials, first-responders and school administrators, and
continue to pray for the recovery of the injured, as well as all those
in the NAU community who have been impacted by this terrible tragedy."
The shooting comes the same day President Barack Obama visited Roseburg, Oregon, and the families of those slain in the October 1 massacre at Umpqua Community College.
The gunman in that case, Chris Harper-Mercer, 26, killed nine people before killing himself, according to police.
CNN
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