(Reuters) - A police officer at the University of North Texas shot and killed an axe-wielding student suspected of knocking out car windows early on Sunday morning, the school's president said.

A university police officer responded to reports of the vandalism and encountered a white male suspect, who advanced toward him with the axe and was shot, President Neal Smatresk said in a statement posted on Twitter and addressed to the university community.

No one else was hurt, he said.

The dead man was later identified by the Tarrant County medical examiner as Ryan McMillan, 21. He died at a hospital at 1:33 a.m MT (0833 GMT), according to the examiner's report.

“This is a tragic event that saddens us as a university community,” Smatresk wrote. “We offer our condolences to the individuals, their families and all involved.”

Counseling is available to any student or employee in need, Smatresk said. The officer was placed on administrative leave pending further investigation, he added.

UNT is located in Denton, Texas, near Dallas and has about 37,000 students, according to its website.





(Reporting by Kevin Murphy. Additional reporting by Lisa Garza in Dallas; Editing by Alan Crosby)