1 dead, 3 wounded in shooting at Northern Arizona University

Students embrace outside a hospital emergency room in Flagstaff, Ariz., on Friday, Oct. 9, 2015, after an early morning fight between two groups of college students escalated into gunfire, leaving one person dead and three others wounded, authorities said. The shooting occurred outside a dormitory near the Northern Arizona University campus.
Students embrace outside a hospital emergency room in Flagstaff, Ariz., on Friday, Oct. 9, 2015, after an early morning fight between two groups of college students escalated into gunfire, leaving one person dead and three others wounded, authorities said. The shooting occurred outside a dormitory near the Northern Arizona University campus.

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — An overnight confrontation between two groups of students escalated into violence Friday when a freshman at Northern Arizona University opened fire on four fraternity members, killing one and wounding three, authorities said.

University Police Chief Gregory T. Fowler identified the shooter as 18-year-old Steven Jones and said he used a handgun in the 1:20 a.m. shootings. Police were still interviewing Jones, and he had not been booked into jail Friday morning. They would not say what precipitated the altercation.

The victims were all members of the Delta Chi fraternity, the organization said in a statement. The university identified the student who died as Colin Brough. The victims being treated at Flagstaff Medical Center are Nicholas Prato, Kyle Zientek and Nicholas Piring. The hospital said it couldn't release any information on conditions.

"This is not going to be a normal day at NAU," said school President Rita Cheng. "Our hearts are heavy."

She called it an isolated and unprecedented incident and said classes would go on as scheduled Friday.

Read Saturday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.

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