Search For Suspect Continues After Robbery Near Stillwater's OSU Campus

News9.com

STILLWATER, Oklahoma -- Oklahoma State University officials said an armed robbery just south of campus Monday evening caused OSU police to notify students and staff, according to OSU spokesperson Gary Shutt.

There are conflicting reports on whether the OSU campus was ever put on lockdown.  Students said they did receive a notification, but OSU police said the campus was never on lockdown. 

OSU students and faculty were alerted to stay inside by a mass voicemail message Monday evening because a possible armed man may be near campus.

Stillwater police said the shooting happened just after 9 p.m. just a few feet away from campus. 

Police said a student was walking when an armed man shot him in the leg and then robbed him, stealing his backpack with a laptop inside. 

The campus newspaper, "The Daily O'Collegian" identified that student as Kasey Cook.  The paper also reported Cook's laptop fell out of the backpack in Sigma Phi Epsilon's volleyball pit. 

OSU graduate student Susan Rhodes said she lives a block away from the incident and said she saw commotion outside a house at 417 Lincoln Street.

"I walked over there, walked out my back door and I saw an ambulance drive away and I saw a whole bunch of cop cars, OSUPD, Stillwater PD and a State Trooper," Rhodes said.

Rhodes said the home where the armed robbery allegedly took place is next door to the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity and less than a block away from university property.

"I got the campus police call, and they said there had been a black male reported as committing a robbery of some form and a firearm was involved," said OSU sophomore Ethan Morris.

Police only have a vague description of the suspect. The suspect is described as a black male about 6'2" tall with has dreadlocks.

The shot student is expected to fully recover and be OK.

Stillwater police said they would release more information about the incident Tuesday morning.