On Tuesday, Rose State College in Oklahoma said that the student who was shot and killed on campus the day before was a Marine reserve.
In a statement, the college said that the student, named RJ Long, was a class leader who was “always kind and respectful.”
— Rose State College (@RoseState) April 25, 2023
According to the statement, his mother said that he was also “a strong Christian who lived every day with his faith.”
Midwest City police say the victim was walking on campus with the shooter’s wife, Brandon Morrissette’s wife, on Monday when the shooter, who is 30 years old, is said to have opened fire.
Police said that Morrissette put a gun in a backpack and turned himself in when they got there.
Police said that Long, who was 20, was killed at the scene.
Oklahoma City’s NBC station KFOR said that Long was well-liked in his hometown of Harrah, Oklahoma.
Jail records show that the subject was being held at the Oklahoma County Detention Center as of late Tuesday. He is being charged with first-degree murder and having a gun on school grounds.
A school spokesman said that students first told them about shots coming from the Humanities Building around 12:15 p.m.
Monday at 12:36 p.m., the college, which is about 8 miles east of downtown Oklahoma City, sent out its first alert about an active shooter.
The school told people that there was “an active shooter situation on campus” and asked them to stay put.
‼️ROSE ALERT: We are currently experiencing an active shooter situation on campus. Please shelter in place and follow instructions from law enforcement officials. The shooter is in custody and police are on scene. More updates to follow. ‼️ pic.twitter.com/UDDosM8l0S
— Rose State College (@RoseState) April 24, 2023
Midwest City Police Chief Sid Porter told reporters that students and workers at the college had just a few weeks before gone through a drill to learn what to do if there was an active shooter.
A little more than an hour after the first warning, the school said that all buildings were empty and the lockdown was over.
Officers were seen gathering near the Russell Vaught Humanities Building and the Larry W. Nutter Administration Building.
Rose State College thanked the officers from Midwest City for coming to school quickly. “Their quick response time was crucial,” the college said in a statement on Tuesday.
The two-year school, which has about 13,000 students, has been open since 1970.
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