Campus Alert Archive
ECU

Seven Bullets From a Bicycle: Unprovoked Attack on ECU Scientist Triggers School Lockdowns Across Greenville

NCshootingemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

On the morning of February 28, 2024, a man on a bicycle shot an ECU employee seven times in an unprovoked attack outside Wahl-Coats Elementary School, about a mile east of ECU's campus. The victim, ECU researcher Andrew Readyoff, survived after calling 911 himself despite being shot seven times. The suspect exchanged gunfire with police before surrendering near campus.

Alerts
3
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
1
Institution
East Carolina University
Public R2 · NC
~28,000 studentsECU Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

3 messages in sequence · 1 verified verbatim

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTPush
Verified verbatimWCTI 12 News Channel reporting on the 8:53 AM ECU Alert; the phrases 'Greenville Police activity' and 'no immediate threat to campus' are quoted verbatim from the alert115 chars
Stay away from 5th Street and Elm Street due to Greenville Police activity. There is no immediate threat to campus.
Verbatim ECU Alert sent at 8:53 AM EST, approximately 23 minutes after the 8:30 AM shooting on Fifth Street
The alert deliberately did not mention the elementary school by name — Wahl-Coates Elementary handled its own lockdown notification through Pitt County Schools
ECU's framing as 'Greenville Police activity' rather than 'shooting' reflects the typical caution of advisory-mode notifications when the threat is off-campus and resolution is in progress
UPDATEPush
Approximate reconstruction211 chars
ECU UPDATE: Suspect from the shooting near Wahl-Coats Elementary has been taken into custody near campus. Officers exchanged gunfire with the suspect. No additional injuries reported. Continue to avoid the area.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed from news coverage; the suspect was captured roughly 20 minutes after the 8:30 AM shooting, east of ECU's campus, so this update followed the 8:53 AM initial alert
The suspect fired at Greenville Police officers when confronted, but no officers or bystanders were injured in the exchange
ALL CLEARPush
Approximate reconstruction175 chars
ECU ALL CLEAR: The suspect in the shooting incident near Wahl-Coats Elementary is in custody. There is no ongoing threat to the campus community. Normal operations may resume.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed from news coverage; the all-clear was issued after the suspect was in custody and the scene was secured
ECU campus was not directly involved in the shooting, but the suspect's flight path passed near campus
Context

Background

On the morning of February 28, 2024, ECU employee Andrew Readyoff was walking on the sidewalk outside Wahl-Coats Elementary School in Greenville when a man on a bicycle pulled out a gun and opened fire in an unprovoked attack. Despite being shot seven times, Readyoff called 911 himself and survived with injuries believed to be non-life-threatening. The elementary school immediately went into lockdown, as did nearby St. Peter Catholic School. About 20 minutes later, Greenville Police caught up with the suspected shooter, 39-year-old Savell Hightower, just east of ECU's campus. When officers approached, Hightower pointed a gun at them and opened fire. Officers returned fire, but no one was injured in the exchange, and Hightower surrendered. During questioning, Hightower admitted to shooting Readyoff, stating that he 'had to make a sacrifice,' and displayed extreme paranoia, telling investigators the government was tracking him.
Analysis

Key Findings

The victim was shot seven times but survived and was able to call 911 himself
The suspect exchanged gunfire with police near ECU's campus before surrendering
The attack was described as completely unprovoked, with the suspect citing delusional beliefs
Outcome
Andrew Readyoff survived with non-life-threatening injuries despite being shot seven times. Suspect Savell Hightower, 39, of Greenville, was arrested after exchanging gunfire with Greenville Police officers near ECU's campus. He was charged with three counts of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury, two counts of assault on a government employee, and firearm offenses.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Suspect behind bars for attempted murder after ECU scientist shot in unprovoked attack (WITN)
    witn.com
  2. News
    ECU employee shot in unprovoked attack outside Wahl-Coats Elementary School (ABC11)
    abc11.com
  3. News
    Identities of ECU scientist shot in unprovoked attack, suspect released (Public Radio East)
    publicradioeast.org
  4. News
    911 CALL: ECU researcher pleads for help after getting shot seven times (WITN)
    witn.com
Tags
shootingunprovoked-attacknorth-carolinagreenvilleecu-employeenear-campusschool-lockdownofficer-involved-shootingmental-health
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion