A man is in custody after police officers with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill said he harassed several Black students during a watch party.
According to the university, officers responded to a report of a person harassing students on campus around 9:21 p.m. Monday. Police said the man was unaffiliated with the university, adding that he was taken into custody and admitted to the hospital because he was exhibiting signs of mental distress.
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Zion Jones is a first-year student who attended the Love Island Season 8 Reunion watch party. She said at first, she didn't understand the commotion.
"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 he was holding what appeared to be an aerosol can and a lighter. She and her fellow 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," Quincy Robinson, another first-year, said.
Several groups at the school, including the African Students Association (ASA), the Black Student Movement (BSM) and the UNC chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), said on Instagram that several Black students were in Greenlaw Hall Monday night for a Love Island watch party and that the man was directing racial slurs at them.
"Our organizations work tirelessly to create spaces where students can gather, celebrate, build community and feel safe and respected," ASA said in a statement posted on Instagram.
"What occurred last night directly undermined that purpose."
Several students around Greenlaw Hall posted videos of the man police believed to be responsible, moving to swat at phones. In one video, the man appeared to be holding a lighter and an aerosol can.
The University said it took 17 minutes for police to take the suspect into custody from the time the first 911 call was made. Jones said that's a longer response time than she would have liked to see.
"17 minutes? That's unbelievable," Jones said.
The association also wanted to know how the man got into the building if he wasn't affiliated with the school. According to the university, an Alert Carolina was never issued to the community because "there was no ongoing threat to campus safety."
UNC Student Body President Devin Duncan said he believes students can still feel safe on campus after the event.
"I think University Police have been on top of it. Certainly there are concerns we are working to get answers to," Duncan said.
One of the main concerns students shared with WRAL was how the suspect entered the building. Robinson and Jones both said Greenlaw Hall was locked at the time of the event and someone had to let them in.
"How did he get in? Who let him in? That's our main concern," Robinson said.
WRAL is working to learn the suspect's name, which was not listed in the incident report.
UNC police officers said the man will be charged with disorderly conduct, vandalism, damage to property, and aggravated assault once he's medically cleared. The university added that the Orange County District Attorney will determine if hate crime charges are appropriate.
The NSBE said they are working with the school and its partner organizations to find out how the man got into the building and to push for stronger protections for future events.