Police are searching for the person they are calling a person of interest in a shooting that happened inside a dining hall at the University of Bridgeport Tuesday night.
A man is wanted for questioning after a shooting at the University of Bridgeport that left one person injured on Tuesday night and prompted the school to go on lockdown for hours.
Police said 18-year-old Dylan Cruz-Tillery, of Queens, New York, is a person of interest and is wanted for questioning about the shooting.
Officers were called to the Marina Dining Hall around 6:30 p.m. on a report of shots fired. A police officer assigned to the university responded within minutes and saw a "chaotic scene," according to police.
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Bridgeport police said one person was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. He reportedly was shot in the arm and had a graze wound to the chest. He is recovering at the hospital.
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Both the shooter and victim were not students, police said. They believe the victim has a connection to the school, but is not a student and believe the suspect was a guest of another student. Investigators believe a fight over a woman led to the gunfire.
"Neither the victim nor the shooter were UB students and this is an isolated incident," University of Bridgeport President Danielle Wilken said in a news conference.
Police Chief Roderick Porter said authorities believe the shooter is not on campus anymore, and they hope to have him in custody soon.
“Last night, the Bridgeport Police Department responded to a shooting incident at the University of Bridgeport. It was not an active shooter incident, but involved two individuals, not related to or involved with the University. This incident resulted in non-life-threatening injuries to one of the individuals. The University of Bridgeport and the Bridgeport Police Department are coordinating on a continued investigation. The University of Bridgeport was placed on a temporary lockdown out of an abundance of caution, which has been lifted as of 5:45 this morning. I would like to thank and compliment the response of not only the University of Bridgeport, but the response of the Bridgeport Police Department; with whom I have full confidence will apprehend the individuals involved in this incident. I want to assure those at the University of Bridgeport and beyond, that their safety and security remains our top priority,” Bridgeport Mayor Joseph Ganim said in a statement on Wednesday morning.
The school was placed into lockdown after the shooting.
Marlon Johns, a graduate student, described what he saw.
“All I heard was a chair falling over. I turned around and then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw the gunshot and people start running,” Marlon Johns, a graduate student said.
“You’re just sitting there and suddenly someone pulls a gun on someone else in the middle of the cafeteria. It’s like how many people do have guns around here that you simply do not know about? So that leaves a weird aftertaste. I’m not gonna lie,” he added.
The lockdown was lifted Wednesday morning. Classes resumed Wednesday morning.
Officials said there was no immediate threat to the university and there would be an active police presence at the university for the next several days.
"At this time, the Bridgeport Police Department is actively investigating this matter but would like to assure residents of the South End and parents of students that attend the University of Bridgeport that there is currently no active threat," city officials said in a statement.
Officials said the women's soccer team and crowds at a game evacuated Knights Field after the shooting and took shelter in Hubbell Gym. The game has since been postponed and will be played Monday, Nov. 4 at 3 p.m.
The national nonprofit One In Five Foundation For Kids is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the shooter.
The incident remains under investigation.
