AUSTIN — The UT-Austin campus was closed for much of Tuesday morning after a male student dressed in black and carrying an AK-47, fired several shots and then killed himself in the Perry-Castaneda library.
"The shooter is dead on the sixth floor of Perry-Castaneda Library," Don Hale, a UT spokesman, told the Austin American-Statesman. "No identification. Apparently took his own life."
The Travis County medical examiner's office Tuesday afternoon identified the student as Colton Tooley, 19, of Austin, the Statesman reported. Tooley was a sophomore math major from Austin, according to the medical examiner.
At a midday news conference, UT Police Chief Robert Dahlstrom said authorities ruled out the possibility of a second gunman after a search of the campus. Fears of a second suspect emerged in part because of conflicting descriptions of the gunman, he said.
During an earlier news conference late Tuesday morning, Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell commended the combined efforts of campus and local officials for containing the crisis without any injuries or other fatalities.
“It was a good response,” Dahlstrom said at the news conference. “We’re very fortunate that no one else was injured other than the lone gunman.”
Authorities did not have a motive, Dalhstrom said. Investigators searched the perimeter to eliminate the possibility of a second suspect and to determine if the gunman had planted explosives on the campus.
Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo confirmed reports that the gunman killed himself and said that no shots were fired by law enforcement.
“The students did their part,” Acevedo said. “They cleared the streets and the grounds in a very quick manner.”
To read the complete article, visit www.star-telegram.com.