1 dead, freshman arrested in N. Arizona University shooting

Doug Stanglin and Matthew Diebel | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Arizona campus shooting suspect charged with murder The Northern Arizona University shooting suspect was charged with one count of first degree homicide and 3 counts of aggravated assault.

A male freshman at Northern Arizona University opened fire on a group of fellow students at the Flagstaff campus early Friday during a confrontation in a dormitory parking lot, killing one student and injuring three more, the campus police chief said.

The 18-year-old suspect was identified as Steven Jones, an NAU student, said NAU police chief Gregory Fowler.

Fowler told reporters that the suspect did not leave the scene and was arrested without incident. He said the suspect was cooperating with police. He said the shooting occurred around 1:20 a.m. local time.

"Two separate student groups got into a confrontation, the confrontation turned physical and one of our students, Steven Jones, 18, produced a handgun and shot four of our other students," Fowler said. "One of our students is deceased."

The victims — all males — were shot "multiple times," he said. They were being treated at Flagstaff Medical Center.

School administrators identified the victims as Nicholas Prato, Kyle Zientek and Nicholas Piring and said the deceased student is Colin Brough.

Prato, Zientek and Piring were being treated for gunshot wounds at Flagstaff Medical Center, according to a statement from the university.

A Flagstaff Medical Center representative declined to provide any information on the conditions of the wounded students.

Jones appeared in court Friday via a video feed from a Coconino County jail. He was wearing a dark, button-down shirt and had no visible injuries. Jones bowed his head as the charges were read against him: one count of first-degree murder and three counts of aggravated assault.

He gave his name and his family's address in Glendale, saying he had lived there his entire life.

Burges McCowan, an private attorney hired to defend Jones, asked that Jones be released into the custody of his parents, arguing that he was a lifelong resident and had no serious criminal history.

"He has no other place to go," McCowan said. "He is not a flight risk."

Deputy Coconino County Attorney Ammon Barker answered that first-degree murder is capital offense and is not bailable when there is strong evidence against a suspect.

Judge Paul Christian set bail at $2 million and scheduled a preliminary hearing for Oct. 15.

The mood on campus Friday morning was somber on a day when few students schedule classes.

Anna Valdez, a 20-year-old from Southern California, said she was awakened about 4 a.m. by family members who had heard about the shooting and wanted to make sure she was not involved.

"This is not something that happens here. We’re a really close-knit community. Everyone is just shocked and speechless," said Valdez.

The shootings hit closer to home for other students, particularly members of the university's Greek community.

John Karter, an NAU sophmore, said Brough had been a friend.

"I lost a good friend today," he said. "I don't want to believe it's true."

Karter said he met Brough through Greek activities, although they belonged to different fraternities. He stressed that the different Greek organizations on campus all get along.

Reflecting on Brough, he added, "I just know he's a good guy."

The shooting erupted in a parking lot outside the Mountain View Hall dormitory on the northeast end of the Flagstaff Campus, Fowler said.

The dorm houses members of fraternities and sororities. Fowler had said that it wasn't immediately clear whether any members of the Greek organizations were involved. But the national chapter of Delta Chi Fraternity in Iowa City, Iowa, released a statement confirming members' involvement.

"Delta Chi Fraternity was made aware of a shooting that took place early Friday morning allegedly involving some of our members. We have investigated this matter and can confirm that there were members involved. We do not have any information on the victims nor do we know if the deceased individual is a member of the Fraternity. At this time, we can confirm that this incident had no ties to the chapter."

The NAU Delta Chi president confirmed that all three of the men wounded in Friday's shooting are members of the fraternity.

Fowler said state law prohibits anyone from carrying a gun on campus, but that gun owners are allowed to keep a weapon in a locked area of a car on campus.

The university, which has an enrollment of around 20,000, was not placed on lockdown, although an emergency alert sent out by the school asked students to remain indoors. University leaders said classes would not be cancelled on Friday.

#NAUAlert: Details confirmed 4 victims, 1 fatality, 3 wounded. Shooter is in custody. Situation is stabilized. Campus not on lockdown. — NAU (@NAU) October 9, 2015

NAU President Rita Cheng called the shootings an "isolated and unprecedented incident" and assured students that the campus was safe. Cheng said classes would continue as normal Friday but that "this is not going to be a normal day at NAU."

"Our hearts are heavy," she said.

Alcohol- and drug-related offenses account for the vast majority of arrests the past three years, according to the university’s 2015 annual security report.

Disciplinary referrals for on-campus alcohol use are far more numerous than arrests, according to the report. On-campus police reported 1,737 alcohol-related referrals in 2012, and 1,767 in 2014, the report said.

In comparison, there were 24 on-campus forcible sex offenses reported in 2014, 15 aggravated assaults and 71 burglaries, according to the report. There were no arrests for weapons possession in 2012, 2013 or 2014, the report said.

NAU’s code of student conduct allows students 21 years and older to consume alcohol in rooms of certain residence halls, as well as other designated areas.

Dad: Daughter met suspected NAU shooter just hours ago A NAU official has confirmed that the suspected shooter is in police custody. While the investigation is ongoing, one father says his daughter, a student at the school, met the suspected shooter only hours before the incident.

In a statement released early Friday morning, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said: "My thoughts and prayers are with families of the person who was killed and the three others who were wounded in the horrific shooting on the campus of Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff early this morning."

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, who is in Israel attending an international water conference, also offered a statement, saying he was praying for the victims, their families and the NAU community.

"This heartbreaking incident will impact many of our fellow citizens, and I ask all Arizonans to keep them and the family of the individual lost in their thoughts and prayers as they cope with this tragedy,” Ducey’s statement said.

Daniel Scarpinato, Ducey’s spokesman, said the governor and Cheng spoke early Friday. Cheng updated Ducey on the latest and he “expressed support and said his office and agencies will help in any way possible," Scarpinato said.

Student Maria Gonzalez told The Associated Press that she at first suspected firecrackers.

“I was studying for an exam so I looked out the window and see two people running, and that’s when I realized they weren’t fireworks they were actually gunshots,” she said.

Contributing: Dennis Wagner, Scott Craven and Yvonne Wingett, The Arizona Republic; KPNX-TV, Phoenix.