The suspect in today's Central Connecticut State University campus emergency and lockdown has been identified as 21-year-old student David Kyem of Newington, the son of CCSU geography professor Peter Kyem.
David Kyem, a senior, was charged with breach of peace and was released after posting $1,000 bond.
Kyem and two other people of interest were taken into custody at CCSU following a massive three-hour police search that stemmed from the report of a man carrying a gun.
Peter Kyem said the incident was a misunderstanding and that his son was wearing a Halloween costume. According to Peter Kyem, David had spent the weekend with a friend and attended a costume party the night before. He said David was not in possession of any weapons and doesn't think his son has ever held a gun.
"I think people saw him and mistook him for a gunman," Peter Kyem said. "They are all plastic materials, the mask and everything. ... It was a stupid thing he did."
David Kyem posted the following message on his Facebook page Monday night:
"God bless everybody, stay positive and centered in love, not fear. Accidents and miscommunications happen but everything that happens in life is a blessing, a lesson or both. Just open your mind."
Kyem's supicious appearance triggered a campus-wide lockdown. Police said 911 calls came in around noon as students reported a suspicious person who appeared to be armed.
"I saw a guy with camouflage pants, knee pads a body armor vest, paint ball mask with tinted goggles, and he had a Katana strapped to his back," said CCSU junior Jordan Governale. "Less than a minute after I saw him, as I was walking off campus, I saw seven or eight cop cars in the direction he was going in."
Witnesses said police were running with long guns shortly after arriving on campus, telling students to take cover. Officers from several agencies, including SWAT, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security, swarmed the campus.
The lockdown lasted hours while police focused their investigation on James Hall, a dormitory where Kyem and two others were eventually taken into custody. Residents reported hearing an alarm go off and said police knocked on doors and told students who live on the first floor to evacuate to nearby halls.
Police said the three people of interest were apprehended on the fourth floor of James Hall, which housees more than 400 students.
"We ended up going floor by floor until we found the suspects," said CCSU Police Chief Chris Cervoni. "I believe all three were in the hallway, coming out of a room."
Police handcuffed Kyem, who was dressed in an orange shirt and camouflage pants, and escorted him from the building.
Authorities lifted the school lockdown shortly after 3 p.m. and gave students the all clear to leave the buildings where they'd been hunkered down. James Hall has reopened shortly thereafter.
Police said the building's ID card swipe system helped authorities track down the people they were looking for.
The other two people of interest haven't been identified, and it's not clear whether they are CCSU students. Cervoni said only that they are student-aged.
So far, Kyem has been the only one charged. Police are continuing to investigate.
All classes and events for this afternoon and tonight have been canceled in light of the incident.
New Britain Mayor Tim O'Brien said no one was injured.
"I think this could happen anywhere so it just reinforced the idea that it's important to understand what the emergency guidelines are," said Kaylie Washburn, a senior at CCSU who said she rode the bus with the suspicious person and called police.
She said she was grateful for the quick police response and called 911 to "help prevent an incident like at Virginia Tech from happening at Central."
More than 10,000 students attend the school.
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Two New Britain schools were also placed on lockdown during the incident, according to Supt. Kelt Cooper.
Holmes Elementary, at 2150 Stanley St., was on external lockdown out of an abundance of caution, Cooper said. Children are not going outside, but they can move around freely inside.
House of Arts Letters and Sciences Academy, or HALS, located at 30 Pendleton Road, is very close to campus and was on full lockdown.
The lockdowns at both schools have since been lifted.
"I want to commend state and local law enforcement for their quick response," said Conn. Gov. Dannel Malloy, in a statement. "While there was no act of violence today, the actions taken once these reports came in are exactly why it is so important to say if something if you see something. Unfortunately, incidents like these will occur, but today showed us the ideal way for them to conclude – with no one seriously harmed."
Photo Credit: New Britain Police Department