'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Two campus officers from Bridgewater College were shot and killed during a violent shooting incident on Tuesday, February 1, 2022. The suspect initially fled the scene but was identified as 27-year-old Alexander Wyatt Campbell.
He was later arrested from a North River island and taken into police custody. The slain police officers were identified as safety officer J.J. Jefferson and campus police officer John Painter by Bridgewater College President David Bushman.
The president also mentioned that the officers were close friends and were known as the “dynamic duo” in the community. Virginia State Police spokeswoman Corinne Geller reported that the officers responded to a “suspicious man” for “suspicious activity” on the Memorial Hall grounds inside the college.
As Jefferson and Painter attempted to confront the suspect, he open-fired on the officers, killing them at the scene. According to Fox News, authorities also discovered multiple guns from the Bridgewater College campus during the investigation.
Following the shooting, the college also issued a shelter-in-place order for students and lifted the lockdown around 4:30 p.m. after the suspect was taken into custody. All classes for Wednesday were also canceled in light of the incident.
Alexander Wyatt Campbell is a former student of Bridgewater College
Alexander Wyatt Campbell is a 27-year-old man from Virginia, who has been arrested as the alleged suspect in the Bridgewater College shooting. Reports suggest that his last known location was Ashland, Virginia.
According to NB12, the suspect is a former student of the liberal arts college and a “stand-out on the Bridgewater’s track team.” He reportedly ran the track at Patrick Henry High School in Ashland and graduated from the institution in 2013.
Campbell even had a record in high school for 5,000 meters race. As per Heavy, he lost his father to brain cancer at an early age and reportedly grew up with his mother and two siblings.
Although no immediate motive behind Campbell’s shooting has been revealed, authorities mentioned that he shot the campus officers after being confronted for being “in a place he shouldn’t have been.”
Following the fatal attack, the suspect fled on foot about 140 miles southwest of Washington, DC. He then dabbled through the North River and entered an island, where he was arrested by several officers from multiple agencies.
Campbell was reportedly found with a “non life-threatening gunshot wound” but it is not known if the injury was self-inflicted or if he was shot by one of the deceased officers. He was later treated at a nearby hospital.
Authorities also reported that other firearms discovered from and near the college campus were also associated with the suspect.
Alexander Wyatt Campbell has been charged with four counts of felony, including two counts of capital murder, and is currently being held at the Rockingham County Jail without bond.
