Man charged one day after reports of ‘armed and dangerous person’ sent UNC into lockdown

One day after reports of an “armed and dangerous person” sent UNC into lockdown for a second time this semester, a Durham man has been arrested and charged in connection to the incident.

On Thursday, Orange County Jail records show that Mickel Deonte Harris, 27, has been charged with assault, possessing a firearm on educational property and two counts of communicating threats.

At 12:54 p.m. on Wednesday, UNC issued an emergency Alert Carolina notification saying there was an “armed and dangerous person on or near campus” and urging people to shelter in place. The alert followed a 911 call at 12:45 p.m.

UNC Police Chief Brian James said in a press conference that the suspect threatened an employee at the Alpine Bagels on campus with a gun.

Although police have not confirmed the nature of the relationship between Harris and the employee, James said he believes the two were somehow connected prior to the incident.

The campus went into lockdown for nearly an hour and a half. At 2:10 p.m., the all-clear was issued by UNC police.

In addition to the charges related to the UNC lockdown, Harris was also charged with assault, communicating threats and going armed to the terror of the public in connection with a similar incident on Sept. 5.

According to an incident report obtained by The News & Observer and Chapel Hill police, Harris allegedly pulled out a handgun at a convenience store in Chapel Hill last week. Until his arrest yesterday, he had an outstanding warrant in relation to the convenience store charges.

He is expected to make his first appearance in court on Thursday afternoon, according to District Attorney Jeff Nieman.

On Aug. 28, a week into the fall semester, the UNC campus was also placed on lockdown after a 34-year-old graduate student, Tailei Qi, allegedly shot and killed associate professor Zijie Yan.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.