JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The racially-motivated mass shooting that occurred at Dollar General, 2161 Kings Road, came moments after the shooter was seen and had an encounter with security on the campus of Edward Waters University Saturday.
EWU, a private, Christian historically Black university and located just over three-quarters of a mile from Dollar General, issued a lockdown for students who were on-campus as police were at the scene at the store, according to a statement shared with First Coast News.
In the statement, the university says an on-campus security officer engaged with "an unidentified male in the vicinity of Centennial Library on campus" as the officer asked the shooter to leave after failing to identify himself.
The shooter then returned to his car without incident and left the campus; the encounter was reported to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office by campus security, according to the statement.
Campus Safety & Security placed the university on lockdown for several hours, restricting access to anyone leaving or coming on the campus. An all clear was given to students at 4:35 p.m. via the Campus Emergency Notification System, 'Tiger Alert,' the statement mentions.
Read below a portion of the statement in which offers condolences from the university:
"Our hearts and prayers go out to the victims and families impacted by today's tragedy. Sheriff T.K. Waters confirmed today's shooting was racially-motivated. EWU stands in opposition to hate-filled crimes against minorities and other targeted groups, and we are deeply impacted, and will not condone these types of actions in our community."
Click here to access the latest EWU's Campus Security Report in how it explains how the university reports and handles crime emergency situations on or near college property.