Huntsville, Alabama (CNN) -- A Harvard-trained biology professor has been charged with capital murder in the shooting deaths of three faculty members at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, authorities said Saturday.
Huntsville Police Chief Henry Reyes said Amy Bishop Anderson, 45, was attending a faculty meeting on the third floor of the sciences building Friday afternoon when she shot six colleagues, killing three.
Anderson, a professor and researcher at the university, was arrested as she was leaving the building, Reyes told reporters Saturday. He said a 9 mm handgun was recovered from the second floor of the building late Friday.
Anderson is charged with one count of capital murder, a crime eligible for the death penalty in Alabama. Madison County District Attorney Rob Broussard said officials were considering other charges, including attempted murder.
University spokesman Ray Garner has identified the dead as Gopi Podila, chairman of the biological sciences department; Maria Davis, associate professor of biology; and Adriel Johnson, associate professor of biology.
The injured were Joseph Leahy, associate professor of biology, in critical condition; Luis Cruz-Vera, assistant professor of biology, in stable condition; and Stephanie Monticello, staff assistant, also in stable condition.
Authorities have not ruled out the possibility of other suspects in connection with the shooting.
Investigators have interviewed Anderson's husband, Jim.
Anderson had been working at the university since 2003 and was up for tenure, Garner said. However, authorities wouldn't discuss possible motives or whether the issue of tenure may have played a role in the shooting.
Garner said the meeting at Shelby Hall was for faculty and staff in the sciences department, but he gave no other details.
The incident occurred shortly before 4 p.m. (5 p.m. ET), and residence halls were locked down 10 minutes later.
Pressed on the amount of time that passed before a campus alert was sent notifying students and faculty about the shooting and the lockdown, university police Chief Chuck Gailes said the lag "didn't impact the safety of people on campus and in the building."
He said there is no specific timeframe that dictates how quickly such an alert is issued, but he said it would be an issue officials will look into.
University President David Williams said there would be a prayer service Sunday.
"We are a resilient community, and we know we will come together to overcome these difficult times," he said.
It wasn't immediately clear whether Anderson retained a defense attorney.
Huntsville Police Chief Henry Reyes said Amy Bishop Anderson, 45, was attending a faculty meeting on the third floor of the sciences building Friday afternoon when she shot six colleagues, killing three.
Anderson, a professor and researcher at the university, was arrested as she was leaving the building, Reyes told reporters Saturday. He said a 9 mm handgun was recovered from the second floor of the building late Friday.
Anderson is charged with one count of capital murder, a crime eligible for the death penalty in Alabama. Madison County District Attorney Rob Broussard said officials were considering other charges, including attempted murder.
University spokesman Ray Garner has identified the dead as Gopi Podila, chairman of the biological sciences department; Maria Davis, associate professor of biology; and Adriel Johnson, associate professor of biology.
The injured were Joseph Leahy, associate professor of biology, in critical condition; Luis Cruz-Vera, assistant professor of biology, in stable condition; and Stephanie Monticello, staff assistant, also in stable condition.
Authorities have not ruled out the possibility of other suspects in connection with the shooting.
Investigators have interviewed Anderson's husband, Jim.
Anderson had been working at the university since 2003 and was up for tenure, Garner said. However, authorities wouldn't discuss possible motives or whether the issue of tenure may have played a role in the shooting.
Garner said the meeting at Shelby Hall was for faculty and staff in the sciences department, but he gave no other details.
The incident occurred shortly before 4 p.m. (5 p.m. ET), and residence halls were locked down 10 minutes later.
Pressed on the amount of time that passed before a campus alert was sent notifying students and faculty about the shooting and the lockdown, university police Chief Chuck Gailes said the lag "didn't impact the safety of people on campus and in the building."
He said there is no specific timeframe that dictates how quickly such an alert is issued, but he said it would be an issue officials will look into.
University President David Williams said there would be a prayer service Sunday.
"We are a resilient community, and we know we will come together to overcome these difficult times," he said.
It wasn't immediately clear whether Anderson retained a defense attorney.
