WEST LAFAYETTE — One person was killed inside a Purdue University classroom Tuesday by a gunman who surrendered to a police officer within minutes of the attack, officials said.
Purdue Police Chief John Cox said Cody Cousins, 23, of Warsaw appeared to have targeted the victim, 21-year-old Andrew Boldt of West Bend, Wisc., around noon in a basement classroom of the Electrical Engineering Building. Cox said Cousins didn’t attack anyone else.
“The individual entered the facility and took the actions that he took, and then immediately left the facility without any other interaction that we’re aware of,” Cox said.
Cousins gave himself up to a West Lafayette police officer outside the building on the 40,000-student campus, he said.
Police are still investigating the motive behind the shooting. Boldt was a senior and worked as a teaching assistant in the school. Cousins is a student in the engineering school.
Purdue officials issued a text alert telling those on the campus about 60 miles northwest of Indianapolis to seek shelter shortly after the shooting was reported.
Waynetown resident and Purdue freshman Logan Endicott had been in class in an adjacent building to the EE Building just minutes before the shooting. Endicott’s class dismissed right before the incident and he had walked approximately one block when he saw the first sign of a problem. The agriculture business major knew something was wrong when a Tippecanoe County police officer sped by him with the car’s siren blaring.
“I have never seen a police car go as fast as that officer was going, especially on campus,” Endicott said. “In less than a minute another county police car blew by me.”
Endicott was not aware of the shooting until arriving back to the Farmhouse fraternity where he is a pledge. Fraternity brothers were gathered together watching Twitter posts and the television in an attempt to keep abreast of the breaking news.
“We went on lockdown at the fraternity. It was pretty scary actually,” Endicott said. “I never would have believed something like this could happen at Purdue.”
Endicott said he received the warning text from Purdue University Security officials at approximately 12:25 p.m.
Within two hours, the university said there was no ongoing threat on campus and allowed normal operations to resume in all buildings except the engineering facility. At approximately 4:30 p.m. university officials announced classes were suspended through Wednesday.
Endicott planned to attend a vigil for the slain student at 8 p.m. at Purdue’s Hovde Hall.
Provost Tim Sands said the university will offer assistance to those who need it as the circumstances of the shooting are sorted out.
Bob Cox of the Journal Review contributed to this report.
