Washington, Aug 29 (IANS): A shooting at the premises of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill left a faculty member dead and prompted students and others to shelter in place for hours, authorities said, adding that the suspect was in police custody.

The incident took place on Monday at 1.02 p.m. at theCaudill Laboratories, and a suspect was taken into custody shortly after 2.30 p.m., CNN quoted Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz as saying at a news conference on Monday night.

The killing is “devastating and the shooting damages the trust and safety that we so often take for granted in our campus community. We will work to rebuild that sense of trust and safety within our community”, Guskiewicz said.

The names of the faculty member and the suspect were not immediately released, UNC Police Chief Brian James said, adding that it was too early to know a motive for the shooting.

“We really want to know the ‘why’ in this case and what led to it,” James said.

The gun used in the shooting has not been found and it remained unclear whether the victim and the assailant knew each other, he added.

“That will hopefully be uncovered through interviews of the suspect as well as any witnesses that may be available,” James said.

The school had issued an alert to students telling them to shelter in place at about 1 p.m., later adding a suspect was at large.

The university then issued an "all clear" shortly before 4.15 p.m.

Classes and campus activities were cancelled for Tuesday, officials said.