Wayne Community College Shooting Update: Police Name Kenneth Morgan Stancil Primary Suspect
ByLaw enforcement officials leading the investigation of the Monday morning shooting at Wayne Community College (WCC) have identified Kenneth Morgan Stancil III as the primary suspect.
Stancil was considered a person of interest only a few hours earlier, Maj. Tom Effler disclosed at a previous media briefing. Per WRAL, law enforcement and school officials held a press conference at 2 p.m. to announce Stancil's new status as a suspect.
He is described as a white male who stands about five feet, 11 inches tall with a bald head, a goatee and a tattoo above his left eye. He was last seen wearing a blue jacket.
Wayne County Sheriff Larry Pierce said police have an "old picture" of Stancil that may not accurately depict the facial tattoos he has now. When they obtain a current photo, they will release it to the public
The police are limiting their search to North Carolina at this time, confirming the suspect fled the area after the shooting, which took place shortly after 8 a.m.
According to the News Argus, the Goldsboro Police Chief Jeff Stewart confirmed he obtained a search warrant for Stancil's house and will be executing it shortly. He also said the police would be releasing a photo of Stancil within the hour.
The victim in the shooting was Ron Lane, a man who worked for WCC for 18 years as the head of the school's print shop. A former student at WCC, Stancil was previously in a work-study program under Lane, but he apparently dropped out before graduating.
Police still do not know what the shooter's motive could have been, but they know he carried a "long gun" - either a shotgun or a rifle - up to the third floor of the building the houses the school's library, where he found Lane working at the print shop. Police described the attack as not random, but isolated.
When the police were asked how the shooter made it to the third floor unnoticed, WCC President Kay Albertson said there is a backdoor entrance to the building that led to a stairwell he could have climbed unnoticed. She also noted few rooms on the campus require a card key or an access code to gain entry.
The police do not know how many times the shooter discharged his firearm, but WRAL reported it was one gunshot.
WCC will cancel all activities and classes scheduled Monday night and open tomorrow with counseling services available to students, the school's public information director, Tara Humphries, said at the news conference.