A University of North Carolina faculty member was killed Monday afternoon after a suspect opened fire on the Chapel Hill campus, prompting a lockdown for three hours, the school and police said.

The shelter-in-place alert went out around 1:02 p.m., following reports of shots fired around Caudill Laboratories, police said.

Tailei Qi was arrested after a brief search and charged with first-degree murder and misdemeanor possession of a gun on an educational property, police said.

Law enforcement respond to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill campus in Chapel Hill, N.C., Aug. 28, 2023, after the university locked down and warned of an armed person on campus. Hannah Schoenbaum/AP

Qi, a graduate student, was arrested around 2:38 p.m. and police gave the all-clear and ended the lockdown around 4:14 p.m., police said. They advised people to avoid Caudill Labs indefinitely as it was still being searched for evidence by investigators.

The police later identified the victim as Zijie Yan, an associate professor in the university's Department of Applied Physical Sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences.

MORE: More than 25,000 people killed in gun violence so far in 2023

Yan worked at the University since 2019, according to the police.

Yan Zijie is seen here in an undated file photo posted on the UNC's Applied Physical Science website. UNC Chapel Hill

"I am devastated and saddened by today's shooting in one of our campus buildings, a place where we conduct our important work of teaching, mentoring and research every day," UNC chancellor Kevin M. Guskiewicz said during a press conference Monday evening. "Our hearts are with the family of our fellow faculty member, those who are personally connected to the victim and those traumatized by this senseless act of violence."

Classes and events have been canceled until Wednesday, the school said.

Law enforcement respond to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill campus in Chapel Hill, N.C., Aug. 28, 2023, after the university locked down and warned of an armed person on campus. Hannah Schoenbaum/AP

Qi was being held without bail, police said. Yan was listed as Qi's academic adviser on the suspect's profile on the UNC website.

UNC Chapel Hill suspect, Tailei Qi is seen in this police handout. Orange County Sheriff's Office

UNC Police Chief Brian James said the weapon used in the shooting was not immediately recovered and the investigation was ongoing.

"We want to make sure we gather every piece of evidence to determine what happened and why it happened," he said during the press conference.

MORE: Suspect identified in racially motivated killing at Jacksonville Dollar General store: Sheriff

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper released a statement, saying he has pledged state resources to help in the investigation

Law enforcement respond to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill campus in Chapel Hill, N.C., Aug. 28, 2023, after the university locked down and warned of an armed person on campus. Hannah Schoenbaum/AP

"This is a tragic way to start a new semester and the state will provide any assistance necessary to support the UNC community," Cooper said.

Guskiewicz acknowledged the traumatic experience for students and faculty and encouraged them to seek out the school's resources to help recover from the incident.

"The community needs to come together," he said. "These events are sadly going on across the nation."

ABC News' Christopher Looft contributed to this report.

Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.