The College Fix

A man brandishing a weapon at the University of California at Berkeley was wounded by police and taken into custody yesterday. Chancellor Robert Birgeneau confirmed that the incident took place at the Haas School of Business, and that no one was injured, other than the gunman. Students were evacuated from the building and part of campus was locked down.

It remains unclear whether the suspect had any connection to the Occupy protest movement that had gripped the campus for the last week. Several students had been arrested for interfering with police activities and setting up encampments on university property, but Birgeneau granted amnesty to all such students in a campus-wide message earlier this week. He also urged the campus to come together to support a specific political agenda:

I believe that as a campus community we can and must join together and focus on our common goals – inducing the state to reinvest in public education, working to repeal Prop. 13, finding a way to reverse Prop. 209, and instituting reforms that will help California regain its status as the door to the American Dream through public higher education. Thanks to the efforts of our students who worked effectively with Assemblyman Cedillo, myself and other members of our campus community, we were able to ensure that the legislature in Sacramento passed AB 130 and AB 131 which Gov. Brown ultimately signed. This example of successful and peaceful activism with students and campus leaders working together can guide us in how we can collaborate to effect real change that will benefit us all. We share the aspirations of the Occupy movement for a better America. I am confident that as a campus community we will find a peaceful and productive way forward.

UPDATE: The Huffington Post is reporting that the gunman, a transfer student in his early 30s, has succumbed to his injuries.

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