Melvin Rowland, University Of Utah Shooting Suspect, Is Convicted Sex Offender

UPDATE: 4:40 a.m. EDT — Police confirmed that Melvin Rowland, the University of Utah shooting suspect, died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound on Tuesday, hours after killing a female student inside the campus.

Authorities believed Rowland tried to force his way into the Trinity AME Church, in downtown Salt Lake City, after fleeing from the crime scene, before shooting himself. It was not immediately known where the police discovered his body.

UPDATE: 4:10 a.m. EDT — Utah police cordoned off the area round the Trinity AME Church in downtown Salt Lake City, as Melvin Rowland, the University of Utah shooting suspect, was believed to be hiding inside.

A silver Hyundai Sonata car was spotted parked at the back of the church — a vehicle similar to the one in which Rowland was believed to have fled the university campus after the shooting. It was unclear whether Rowland had been taken into custody by the police.

“U of U ALERT: *** ALL CLEAR *** Melvin Rowland, the suspect in the fatal shooting on campus, has been located and is no longer a threat,” the university tweeted.

It also added that all morning and evening classes had been cancelled following the shooting, which left one female student dead.

UPDATE: 2:30 a.m. EDT — Melvin Rowland, 37, a registered sex offender, was identified as the suspect in University of Utah shooting Monday, which resulted in the death of a female student. Rowland was believed to have entered into an argument with the victim, who was not identified, shortly before the shooting took place. Several students on campus heard the two fight before the gunshots rang out.

The suspect was reportedly in a "previous relationship with” the victim, according to the Salt Lake Tribune.

Utah Police Lt. Brian Wahlin said the victim’s body was found inside a car outside the campus dorms, located near the medical towers. Wahlin did not disclose how many times the victim was shot or whether she was already inside the car when she was killed.

“We’ve got the campus secure at this point in time," he told reporters around 11 p.m. local time Monday (1 a.m. Tuesday EDT) "We are canvassing the area and all of campus."

He added that Rowland was “no longer a threat to campus” as he was believed to have left the area.

According to Heavy.com, the suspect used to work for Andronicus, a company involved in “staffing medical assistants, RNs and CNAs," in 2015. The company’s office was located near the university campus. He failed to renew his contract with the company in 2016.

Rowland was convicted of one count of attempted sexual abuse and one count of enticing a minor over the internet in 2004. After being released from prison in 2013, he had been living in the Rio Grande area, Utah.

Anyone with any information regarding the suspect’s whereabouts has been requested to call the University of Utah police at 801-585-2677.

Original story:

The police responded to a shooting on the University of Utah campus Monday that resulted in the death of a female student. The police identified the suspect as Melvin Rowland, 37, a registered sex offender.

According to the Salt Lake Tribune, the shooting took place in a parking lot near the medical towers a little before 10 p.m. local time (12 a.m. EDT Tuesday), after which the suspect fled the site on foot. Law enforcement agents arrived at the scene armed with assault rifles and police dogs, but were unable to locate Rowland. He is believed to have shot and killed a female student, the university confirmed.

The victim was not identified. The police suspected Rowland to have left the university campus following the shooting. The university sent out an alert on Twitter, requesting all individuals present on campus to take shelter: “U of U ALERT: Shooting on campus. Secure-in-place. More info to come.”

The university was put on lockdown until further developments.

The Salt Lake City Police Department sent out an “Attempt To Locate” alert on social media, along with the following description of the alleged shooter: “Suspect: Black male, 37 years old, 6′3”, 250 lbs, wearing a gray beanie, black pants, white shoes and a white hoodie. He was last seen on foot leaving NB from the medical towers."

According to emergency scanner traffic, a possible gunshot victim was reported near the parking lot of 224 Medical Plaza and a possible kidnapping and shooting was reported in the area of 2200 East Red Butte Canyon Road.

Nearly a year ago, Chenwei Guo, 23, a Chinese man who was studying computer science major, was killed on the campus when Austin Boutain shot five rounds into a car.