Friday, Oct. 16
Update: The Coconino County Attorney’s Office announced the Coconino County Grand Jury has indicted suspect Steven Jones on the following charges:
1 count first degree murder
6 counts aggravated assault
For information, contact the Coconino County Attorney’s Office.
Thursday, Oct. 15
Update: The Coconino County Attorney has changed the charges against suspect Steven Jones to the following:
1 count second degree murder
6 counts aggravated assault
Saturday, Oct. 10
Click here to read a letter to campus from President Rita Cheng.
Friday, Oct. 9
6:30 p.m. update: The NAU Police Department has released recordings of the initial 911 calls received early this morning in response to the shooting on campus. The files can be downloaded here.
4:45 p.m. update: NAU students representing fraternity and sorority life are planning a candlelight vigil at 7 p.m. on the North Quad of the Flagstaff campus.
Counseling Services will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10. The Office of Student Life and the Health and Learning Center also will open at 10 a.m.
1:45 p.m. update: Due to human error, the initial text alerts went to 700 individuals, including the residence hall director. That residence hall director reacted immediately, calling the police department and activating the public address system to notify the entire hall within minutes to stay inside their rooms and lock their doors.
Initial messages were distributed by the dispatcher, who also was managing a dynamic, developing situation which included fielding multiple, simultaneous 911 calls and communicating with the officers responding to and arriving on the scene. The error was discovered well after the scene was secured and updates were sent to the entire campus community. That notification was sent at 2:52 a.m.
Redundancies in our communications led to the residence hall director securing the area where the immediate threat was identified.
NAU Alert is an opt-in text notification system.
Noon update: Suspect Steven Jones is scheduled for an initial appearance in front of a magistrate this afternoon. He has been charged with the following felonies:
1 count first degree murder
3 counts aggravated assault
We have no additional details regarding the three victims being treated at the Flagstaff Medical Center.
NAU’s Counseling Services will be open tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Health and Learning Center.
The university is still gathering details on this morning’s incident. It is known that after the initial text alert, a residence hall director at Mountain View Hall called NAUPD at 1:24 a.m., verified the incident and then activated the public address system within minutes, telling all Mountain View residents to stay inside and lock their doors.
More details to follow.
10 a.m. update: The Northern Arizona University Police Department was notified at 1:20 a.m. of shots fired on north campus. Police were dispatched, the suspect was detained and the situation was secured at 1:22 a.m. Emergency services were on the scene by 1:33 a.m. to assist the victims.
An error during the deployment of the NAU Alert system resulted in limited distribution of the initial alerts, which were sent as a precautionary measure to notify campus of the situation. A final all clear message was sent to the entire campus at 2:52 a.m.
The investigation is ongoing. We will provide further updates as they become available. Check nau.edu.
8 a.m. update: The victims currently being treated at Flagstaff Medical Center have been identified as Nicholas Prato, Kyle Zientek and Nicholas Piring. The deceased student is Colin Brough. Further details will be released as they become available.
6 a.m. update: An isolated shooting incident occurred on the Northern Arizona University campus in Flagstaff early Friday. The suspect was apprehended and the scene was immediately secured following report of the incident to the NAU Police Department. One person is deceased and three victims are being treated at the Flagstaff Medical Center.
“We are shocked and deeply saddened by this incident. Our thoughts are with the victims and their families, and our entire Lumberjack family,” said NAU President Rita Cheng. The president’s full statement is available here.
The incident took place in a parking lot on the northeast end of the Flagstaff Campus. The first call of shots fired came in at 1:20 a.m.
NAUPD Chief Greg Fowler said the suspect in custody is Steven Jones, a freshman at NAU. The campus police department is working closely with Flagstaff Police Department on this ongoing investigation.
Support services are currently available to our students through Counseling Services. Faculty and staff can seek support through Employee Assistance and Wellness beginning at 8 a.m.
A Family Assistance Center has been set up in the ballroom of 1899. Parents also may call (928) 523-0007 for information.
The Hot Spot in the University Union opened today at 6 a.m. to offer a place for students to gather.
The Office of Public Affairs will continue to update the campus community as details are released.