Photo by Briana Brough
The scene this afternoon at Scroggs Elementary.
At 2:04 p.m. today, 911 received a report of gunshots fired in front of Scroggs Elementary in Southern Village. The school went into lockdown, while nearby Culbreth Middle School was placed under a "soft lockdown."
An unidentified female victim with multiple gunshot wounds was transported to UNC Hospitals, according to Chapel Hill Police Chief Chris Blue. He told our editor, Evan Markfield, on the scene that her condition is unknown.
Witnesses reported a black vehicle leaving the scene. Chapel Hill Police caught up with the vehicle and pulled it over on 15-501 at Raleigh Road. Officers positively identified the suspect and took him into custody, said Blue.
Once the suspect was taken into custody, police lifted the lockdown at Scroggs.
No children or members of the Scroggs staff were involved. Many parents gathered outside of the school as soon as reports of the crime circulated -- they were notified by emails and automatic calls -- and by 3 p.m. most of the children had been picked up. As of 3:35 p.m., police officers were processing the crime scene.
“It seemed very organized," said Katie Frizzelle, whose son attends Scroggs' after-school program. "When I got here, all the police cars were here. The teachers were calm and collected. There were no kids hurt, so there was nothing to worry about on my end.” TW
UPDATED AT 5:33 P.M.: At 4:08 p.m., the shooting victim was pronounced deceased at UNC Hospitals, according to a press release sent out by the CHPD. The identity of the victim is not being released at this time, pending notification of the victim’s family members.
UPDATED AT 9:56 P.M.: Names in the shooting have been released by authorities: Chahnaz Kebaier, 40, of Copperline Drive in Chapel Hill was the victim; Ali Cherfaoui, 49, of Carrboro has been charged with murder. Cherfaoui and Kebaier had reportedly been involved in a domestic dispute.
