North Carolina Central University police investigate armed robbery on campus
DURHAM, North Carolina (WTVD) -- An NCCU student is recovering after being robbed on campus Tuesday evening.
The female student was forced to give up her purse by an armed thief. On Wednesday, her classmates reacted to the campus-wide alert.
"My mom gets the alerts, too, and she is like 'are you OK?' I'm like 'yeah I'm in my room,' She's like, 'do I need to be down there?' I'm like 'no,' said sophomore student Shanaia Brooks.
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NCCU senior Ayanna Brooks says the incident scares her.
"I feel bad for her (the victim) because nobody wants to go through that," Brooks said. "You go to school here, so you are supposed to be safe."
The robbery happened near the Farrison-Newton Communications Building by Dupree and Merrick streets. The woman told campus police she was standing in the roadway Tuesday evening when two men approached her. One of them had a gun.
After they took the victim's purse, the crooks ran off into the neighborhood. There are cameras in the area, but NCCU would not say whether they were rolling.
"That could have been me," Brooks said. "That could have been me walking to my car. And somebody tried to steal my stuff."
Students say reports of robberies on campus is nothing new. According to NCCU, there have been a handful of robberies at Central each year.
NCCU Campus Robberies:
2015: 7
2014: 9
2013: 5
The numbers are slightly lower from year-to-year on Duke University's campus.
Duke University Campus Robberies
2015: 3
2014: 1
2013: 6
The attack serves as a reminder to students to watch their backs. Administrators urge vigilance - telling students to walk in pairs, eliminate distractions and report suspicious activity.
If anyone has information that can help, they are asked to call campus police. (919) 530-6106.
