A former University of New Orleans student is in custody in connection with a potential threat that led to UNO officials to close the campus and cancel Monday's classes.
In a statement released Monday morning, UNO President John Nicklow said the suspect entered a classroom and "acted in an erractic and disruptive manner." Nicklow said someone reported the incident to the UNO Dpeartent of Public Safety, which then launched an investigation.
"Our officers discovered a video posted Friday on one of the suspect’s social media accounts, showing him purchasing an assault style rifle at a gun store," Nicklow said in the statement. "Additional photographs of him brandishing the firearm were posted across the suspect’s social media accounts. It was at this point that multi-agency surveillance of the suspect began and continued throughout the weekend. The suspect’s off-campus location was continuously monitored, and thus no imminent threat to campus existed. We were not able to share this information with you until now because it would have compromised the investigation."
Nicklow said the New Orleans Police Department, the United States Marshal's Service, and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office conducted a joint operation overnight to arrest the suspect, who has not yet been identified.
According to Nicklow, the UNO campus will remain closed for the rest of the day Monday, and classes for the day remain canceled. Nicklow said normal university operations will resume on Tuesday.
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