Campus shooting suspect ‘clinically dead’ after shooting self — police

AMMAN — Police on Sunday said a 37-year-old man suspected of shooting and killing a female university student last week has shot himself when police closed in on him in Mafraq.

“We were able to locate the killer at a farm in the Balama area and when police surrounded him and asked him to turn himself in he refused and instead shot himself,” Police Spokesperson Lt. Col. Amer Sartawi told The Jordan Times.

The suspect was rushed to a nearby hospital suffering from a gunshot wound to the head, according to the police official.

“The suspect, Udai Hassan, is clinically dead and is currently being treated at a hospital,” the police official added.

Iman Ersheid, a nursing student, was reportedly shot over five times allegedly by the suspect as she exited an exam hall on Thursday, according to multiple media outlets.

The suspect was seen fleeing on foot from the university and headed to a nearby building where he was last seen by witnesses.

The 22-year-old victim was rushed to a nearby hospital where she succumbed to her wounds, according to Sartawi.

Police launched a nationwide manhunt and formed a special team under the directives of the police chief that was tasked to search for the suspect, the police official said.

“The team worked in the most professional and efficient manner and raided several areas where the suspect was believed to be hiding and finally located him in the farm,” Sartawi said. 

Investigators and crime lab technicians retrieved a gun that was reportedly with the suspect for a ballistic match and further investigations, according to a statement by the Public Security Directorate (PSD).

The PSD expressed its condolences to the victim’s family and stressed that no one is above the law, the statement said.

The PSD statement urged the public to refrain from republishing false news about the incident via social media as it will only contribute to spreading rumours and wrong information that could harm the investigation.