Preliminary findings: Campus officer killed LU student

McKenna Grant | USA TODAY

A student is dead after a dorm shooting at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va. early Tuesday morning.

The private, Christian university released a statement Tuesday morning confirming "there was an altercation between a Liberty University Emergency Services Officer and a male student that led to a shooting last night at a women's-only residential hall."

Lynchburg police have confirmed that the student killed in the shooting at the Residential Annex II, an all-girls off-campus dormitory, was 19-year-old Joshua Hathaway of Lubbock, Texas, a Liberty University student.

The university released an additional statement noting the emergency services officer "was attacked by a male student in the lobby of a women's-only dorm … the student was shot and killed."

According to a press release posted on the Lynchburg Police Department's Facebook page, the Lynchburg Police Department and Lynchburg Fire and EMS Department responded to a call at 4:07 a.m. Tuesday morning. The preliminary investigation indicates the officer fired shots at the student.

The officer was transported to Lynchburg General Hospital for treatment.

President Jerry Falwell, Jr. issued the following statement: "The Liberty University community is deeply saddened by this tragic event and is prayerfully supporting all those impacted."

Liberty's entire campus is open and operating as normal after what appears to be an isolated incident, according to the university's statement.

The shooting is under investigation.