Shortly afterward, a person was taken into custody at an apartment building nearby.
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Please note the video in the player above is from a previous report.
The university advised students and staff to stay inside and close windows and doors immediately until further notice in an alert issued at 12:54 p.m.
UNC said at 2:11 p.m. that the lockdown was lifted an it is safe to resume normal activities.
The University advises the campus community to go to alertcarolina.unc.edu, for further updates on the situation.
People can let their families know they are OK in the event of an emergency affecting the Carolina campus while keeping cell phone lines open for emergency calls by using the American Red Cross Safe and Well list. The Safe and Well list is especially helpful in communicating with family members who are outside the emergency area.
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Campus police ask anyone seeing suspicious activity to call 911 and to refrain from calling 911 or campus police just to inquire about the current situation.
When the threat is over, school officials said sirens will sound again with a different tone to announce along with the voice message: "All clear. Resume normal activities."
This is the second time within three weeks that campus police and the university have issued a Carolina Alert and locked down the campus.
On Aug. 28, the alert was issued after a student allegedly shot and killed his professor.
University of North Carolina graduate student Tailei Qi has been charged and indicted with killing Associate Professor Zijie Yan in Caudill Labs.
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The gun allegedly used by Qi has yet to be covered, according to UNC police.
UNC students have expressed frustration and outrage and how the school handled communication, the alerts and release of information.
Tuesday, UNC Chapel Hill students met with lawmakers about solutions to gun violence.