Rose State College on Tuesday identified a student killed in a shooting on the campus in Oklahoma a day earlier as a Marine reservist.
The college described the student, identified as RJ Long, in a statement as a leader in his classes who was “always kind and respectful.”
He was also “a strong Christian and lived every day with his faith,” his mother shared, according to the statement.
Midwest City police said the victim was walking on campus Monday with the wife of the shooting suspect, identified as Brandon Morrissette, 30, when the suspect is alleged to have opened fire.
Police said Morrissette placed a firearm in a backpack and surrendered to officers when they arrived.
Long, 20, died at the scene, police said.
NBC affiliate KFOR of Oklahoma City reported that Long was beloved in his hometown, Harrah, Oklahoma.
The suspect was being held at the Oklahoma County Detention Center late Tuesday and faces charges of first-degree murder and possession of a weapon on school property, according to jail records.
Students first reported gunfire from the Humanities Building a little after 12:15 p.m., a school spokesperson said.
The college, which is about 8 miles east of downtown Oklahoma City, issued its first active shooter warning at 12:36 p.m. Monday.
The school warned that it was experiencing "an active shooter situation on campus" and asked people to shelter in place.
Midwest City Police Chief Sid Porter told reporters that students and staff members at the college had completed an exercise about what to do if there was an active shooter just weeks earlier.
A little over an hour after the initial warning, the school announced all buildings on campus were clear and the lockdown had ended.
Officers were seen gathering around the Larry W. Nutter Administration Building and the neighboring Russell Vaught Humanities Building.
Rose State College thanked Midwest City officers for rushing to campus. “Their quick response time was crucial,” the college said in Tuesday's statement.
The two-year institution opened in 1970 and has an enrollment of about 13,000 students.
