Deadly shooting near Texas campus

Gunman has shot and killed a police officer and a civilian near a university in the US state of Texas.

Texas shooting
The policeman who died was serving an eviction notice when the suspect opened fire [AP]

A gunman has shot and killed a police officer and a civilian near a university in the US state of Texas, police said.

Several others have been admitted to hospital after being wounded in the shooting in College Station city, according to Jon Agnew, a spokesperson for the Bryan Police Department.

The shooting happened within two streets of Texas A&M University at about 12:45 local time (17:45 GMT) on Monday.

Police said the gunman was shot and killed. It is not yet known if he was a student at the university, and no motive has been given for the deadly attack. Bryan city police are assisting College Station in the investigation.

The policeman who died was serving an eviction notice when the suspect opened fire, according to US media reports.

‘Situation under control’

Agnew said police officers had established a perimetre around the area shortly after the shooting just east of campus, but added that they do not believe a second suspect was involved.

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“The situation is calm right now,” Agnew said. “We think the situation is under control.”

Scott McCollum, the assistant College Station police chief, said reinforcements rushed to the scene after the first shots were fired and battled the gunman, eventually wounding him and taking him into custody.

“We had officers respond to a ‘shots fired’ call,” McCollum said at a press conference. “Once the officers arrived, they began to trade fire. The officers defended themselves and called in additional officers.”

He added that the officer killed was a constable with Brazos County and that the gunman was shot before being taken into custody.

College Station police officers shot the gunman, said Jason James, a sergeant with the police department in Bryan, Texas.

The incident came in the wake of two recent mass shootings – one at a crowded cinema in Colorado and another at a Sikh Temple in Wisconsin – less than three weeks apart that reignited debate over lax US gun laws.

Texas A&M issued a “Code Maroon” warning to students, and urged students to “continue to avoid the area”.

“Our hearts and prayers go out to the victims and the families,” said Lane Stephenson, director of news information
services at Texas A&M University. He said the university was unaware if any of the victims were students.

Source: News Agencies