UNC Charlotte shooting: Rapper Waka Flocka Flame cancels campus concert, asks fans to stay safe
Rapper Waka Flocka Flame sent out a tweet to inform his fans that he was safe following the tragic shooting at the University of North Carolina Charlotte on Tuesday (April 30).
The rapper was scheduled to give a free concert at the school's football stadium on Tuesday evening. The University remains on lockdown after two people were shot dead and four others were injured in the shooting.
"I’m safe y’all," he tweeted.
He also took to Instagram to share his concern about his fans saying: "I pray all my fans are safe and ok! I will not be able to perform or even make it to the venue... please to all my supporters and followers be safe! [sic]"
He also tweeted that he was nowhere around in response to Brandon Lee Cook.
Campus Police Chief Jeff Baker said authorities received a call around 4:40 p.m. that a suspect armed with a pistol had shot several students. He said officers assembling nearby for the concert rushed to the scene, where they apprehended the male suspect. "Our officers' actions definitely saved lives," Baker said at a news conference. He said two people were killed, and three remained in critical condition late Tuesday. He said a fourth person's injuries were less serious.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department later said that the campus had been secured and that officers were going through buildings to let people who had sheltered in place know that it was safe.
The university has more than 26,500 students and 3,000 faculty and staff.
Shortly after, UNC Charlotte issued a campus lockdown, aerial shots from local television news outlets showed police officers running toward a building, while another view showed students running on a campus sidewalk.
One suspect is in custody and the scene is secure, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department tweeted about two hours after shots were reported. Police said they believe no other suspects were involved.
In early April, Waka Flocka Flame was in an Atlanta recording studio when three men started shooting. The rapper had to take cover but escaped unharmed.
According to police reports obtained by CNN and WSB-TV, the 32-year-old rapper (real name Jauquin Malphurs) was with approximately a dozen people at Atlanta's ZAC Recording studios when the attack took place. No reports have been shared of any persons of interest or apprehended suspects, or whether Waka Flocka was the intended target of the shooting.