A man accused of causing a disturbance at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill campus last week, including allegedly assaulting someone and shouting racial slurs at students, was given a $10,000 secured bond Friday as UNC officials addressed questions about the university’s response to the incident.
Keegan Wilson was arrested Sept. 9 after investigators said they waited for him to be medically cleared before charging him with disorderly conduct and simple assault.
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During his first appearance in court Friday, the state said both charges are Class 2 misdemeanors and asked for a $10,000 secured bond based on the seriousness of the allegations.
Wilson’s attorney said Wilson had been involuntarily committed for mental health treatment before being taken to Wake County and served with the charges. The attorney also disputed descriptions of Wilson having a “flamethrower,” saying the items involved were a cigarette lighter and whiteboard cleaner.
The judge ultimately set bond at $10,000 secured, citing Wilson’s mental health breakdown, the location of the incident on the UNC campus and the allegations of violence.
The judge also said it was unclear whether Wilson is currently receiving mental health treatment.
Wilson's ties to UNC
The university now confirms that Wilson graduated from the university with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 2003.
If Wilson makes bond, UNC-Chapel Hill PD has trespassed him from campus.
UNC officials address response
The Greenlaw Hall incident was also discussed Friday morning during a UNC employee forum, where Provost Magnus Egerstedt and UNC Police Chief Brian James answered questions from faculty and staff.
One question focused on whether student organizations can request security assessments for events, even if the events are not considered large or major.
James said police are aware of some major events when organizers reach out in advance, but acknowledged there are many events happening across campus that police may not know about.
“We certainly are going to look into a way that we can be more aware of what’s going on on campus,” James said. “Because we’re a town within a town, so any number of people doing events every day and we don’t always know about them.”
James said, at a minimum, on-duty patrol officers could be asked to check on events when police are aware they are happening.
Another question focused on why an Alert Carolina message was not issued during the Greenlaw Hall incident.
James said police received 35 calls over a 15-minute period. Two telecommunicators were working, while a student was able to keep the suspect in sight as he moved around campus.
Police initially responded to an area near New East. Wilson continued moving and was later located around South Road near Carmichael Hall.
James said officers arrived at the first location in about five minutes after being dispatched, but it took another 12 minutes to get Wilson into custody.
He said police have only a limited number of pre-prepared Alert Carolina messages and that officers were focused on taking Wilson into custody because they had someone keeping eyes on him.
James said trying to formulate and send an alert during the incident would have taken longer than getting Wilson into custody.
Faculty members also asked whether the university could have sent a notification after the incident to let the campus community know what had happened.
“We’ve acknowledged there have been shortfalls in communication,” James said.
However, he said he does not believe Alert Carolina is the appropriate system for follow-up information about incidents that have already ended.
“I do agree with you that additional followup info should have been pushed out, I just don’t think Alert Carolina is the proper vehicle for that,” James said.
James said the university handles a large number of events and that using Alert Carolina for every incident could lead to the system being overused.
Provost: ‘We’re one family’
Egerstedt said university officials are trying to learn from what happened.
He said the university has a responsibility to maintain the trust of students and their families.
“It’s almost a sacred responsibility when we ask people to entrust with their kids. If we break that trust…we’re in trouble,” Egerstedt said.
Egerstedt said the incident was also discussed extensively during an all-deans meeting Thursday.
He said the university’s broader responsibility goes beyond security and communication.
“We’re a community, we’re one family, and everyone should feel that they belong here,” Egerstedt said. “If they don’t, we have not done our job, and it’s very clear that there are people that are part of the Carolina family that don’t feel supported and that they belong, so to me that is the most important question.”
What happened at Greenlaw Hall
According to UNC, officers responded to a report of a person harassing students around 9:21 p.m. Aug. 31.
Police said Wilson is not affiliated with the university.
The incident happened during a Love Island Season 8 reunion watch party, hosted by black students. Zion Jones, a first-year student who attended the event, previously told WRAL that Wilson began shouting racial slurs.
“He started yelling racial slurs,” Jones said. “We went to the floor because he started reaching for his waist, so we thought he was pulling out a gun or something.”
Jones said she later realized Wilson appeared to be holding an aerosol can and a lighter. Students took cover for several minutes before finding a way out of the room.
“Most of us ended up running out of Greenlaw, and then after that the man was just out there,” first-year student Quincy Robinson said.
Videos posted by students showed a man believed to be Wilson moving around Greenlaw Hall and appearing to swat at phones. In one video, he appeared to be holding a lighter and an aerosol can.
UNC previously said it took 17 minutes for police to take Wilson into custody after the first 911 call.
Students have questioned how Wilson entered Greenlaw Hall. Robinson and Jones said the building was locked at the time and someone had to let Wilson inside.
“How did he get in? Who let him in? That’s our main concern,” Robinson said.
The National Society of Black Engineers said it is working with the university and its partner organizations to determine how Wilson entered the building and push for stronger protections during future events.