Professor shot dead on campus in US

A professor has been shot dead in his office at a US university and the campus remained on lockdown after reports of a gunman on the loose.

Ethan Schmidt, an assistant professor of American history, died at Delta State University in Mississippi. Officials said he was aged in his mid-50s.

It is unclear whether anyone else was wounded, said University spokeswoman Jennifer Farish.

The lockdown began about 10:45am local time, with the university advising students, faculty, and staff to take shelter and stay away from windows.

The university’s Twitter account said the gunman was spotted near Jobe Hall.

State and law enforcement agencies have responded.

The 3,500-student university is in Cleveland, in Mississippi’s Delta region near the Arkansas-Mississippi state line.

Mississippi Department of Public Safety spokesman Warren Strain said a man who is believed to be the gunman was still at large. He said a description was not immediately available.

“Fortunately for us, our public safety officers and university officials have trained many of us for active shooter situations,” said Don Allan Mitchell, an English professor.