Chapel Hill, North Carolina - A gunman opened fire at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on Monday, killing one faculty member.

Shots were fired in a laboratory on the campus of shortly after 1 PM EDT on Monday, according to university staff and local authorities.

The university and police warned students and employees of an "armed and dangerous person on or near campus" and told them to seek shelter in the university buildings. They barricaded themselves in lecture halls and offices.

After one and a half hours the police succeeded in arresting the suspected shooter. At about 4:15 PM, the police declared the emergency over. The motives behind the shooting were initially unclear.

There were no indications of further fatalities or injuries.

UNC chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz expressed his "shock and sadness" in a statement.

"I am grieved to report that one of our faculty members was killed in this shooting. We are waiting for confirmation that the next of kin has been contacted before we share more information," Guskiewicz said.

The fall semester in the US began last week. There are about 30,000 students at UNC in Chapel Hill, which is the oldest state university in the US. After the incident, all events on campus for Tuesday were cancelled.