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2 officers killed in Bridgewater College campus shooting

UPDATE, 6:25PM

The two officers that were shot at Bridgewater College Tuesday are dead, according to an email from the college's president David Bushman.

According to the email, Campus Police Officer John Painter and Campus Safety Officer J.J. Jefferson were shot and killed while protecting the campus.

"These officers were close friends, known to many of us as the 'dynamic duo,'" the email said. "John was J.J.'s best man in his wedding this year. They were beloved by students, faculty and staff. I hurt for their families and loved ones, as I know we all do.

"This is a sad and dark day for Bridgewater College," the email from Bushman continued. "I know all have so many questions and not many answers. One thing I do know though, is that we will rally around one another and support each other as we move forward from this day. 

"We are all victims, though some much more so than others, and it will be important that we each seek to find comfort and support in the ways most meaningful to us," the email concluded. 

UPDATE, 5PM:

Virginia State Police are confirming that two officers were shot today at Bridgewater College. They are not saying whether the officers have died. We talked to a student witness who believes the officers were killed. He looked out of a classroom window after hearing shots.

Corinne Geller, spokeswoman for the State Police:

"A Bridgewater College Campus Law Enforcement Officer and Campus Safety Officer were shot during this incident. We are not releasing their conditions at this time."

Earlier: This video from social media appears to be of a suspect taken into custody today. We are working to confirm. From David W. Yarber:

BRIDGEWATER — According to tweets from Bridgewater College, there was a report of an active shooter on campus, as of 1:24 p.m.

"Reports of active shooter on campus. Shelter in place," the tweet said.

As of 2:08 p.m. a tweet came through that read, "An individual is in police custody. Situation is still ongoing. Continue to shelter where you are."

From Fire and EMS radio chatter, it was reported that two officers were hit and the suspect was in the area of East Main Street. That report came in 1:46 p.m. The report came through Broadcastify.com's Service Incident Page Network that sends out alerts to subscribers.

That same reporting network said the male in custody had been shot once.

Virginia State Police and Rockingham County Sheriff's Office are on scene.

As of 2:38 p.m. the shelter in place was still in effect. Law enforcement officials were sweeping buildings.

"For additional safety purposes, law enforcement officials will be moving through buildings. Do not be alarmed. listen to officers' instructions," a tweet said. 

According to a reporter on the scene, East College Street to Third Street has been taped off and people are being told to leave that area. 

There are a lot of law enforcement on the scene including Bridgewater Police, VSP, Town of Bridgewater Police near Flory Hall. 

"There are a lot of police," according to reporter Patrick Hite. "There's at least 30 officers in this immediate area from various police departments.

At 3:46 p.m. Bridgewater College sent out the following tweet: "The college and State Police will be issuing a statement, Continue to shelter in place. More information to come."

Text messages provided by April Saunders to the News Leader show the conversation with Kasey, her son's girlfriend, at the time of the Bridgewater College shooting.

According to a statement from the college and VSP, the initial report came in that two officers had been shot and the armed suspect had fled the scene. State and local law enforcement immediately responded to the campus and initiated a massive search operation for the suspect. By 1:55 p.m., the male shooter was taken into police custody.  

Bridgewater College was locked down Feb. 1, 2022 due to an active shooter situation.

Here's what information we have:

Bridgewater College's website was down, but limited information was available on its Twitter feed. 

Bridgewater continued to tweet:

"This is not a test. More info to follow," at 1:25 p.m.

Then again at 1:31 p.m.:

"Continue to shelter in place. State Police on the scene."

The latest tweet was at 1:44 p.m.

"Continue to shelter in place. We will share more information when it's made available to us."

In a text message alert sent out through Bridgewater Alerts it said the shelter in place situation was ongoing. 

"We are communicating with authorities," the message that was sent out said. "Will update. Text to let your loved ones know you are okay."

2:30PM, possible suspect arrest:

We will update this story when more information becomes available. The News Leader has a reporter heading to the scene.

Laura Peters is the trending topics reporter at The News Leader. Have a news tip on local trends or businesses? Or a good feature? You can reach reporter Laura Peters (she/her) at lpeters@newsleader.com. Follow her @peterslaura. Subscribe to The News Leader at newsleader.com.