Gun discharges in West Union

A revolver discharged between Chick-fil-A and the Great Hall Thursday when a part-time employee dropped his backpack to the floor in a back office.

Jamiles McElveen, who works for the Great Hall, was charged with carrying a weapon on campus and carrying a concealed weapon after police responded to the incident at approximately 5 p.m., said Duke University Police Chief John Dailey.

The bullet lodged in the ceiling and no one was injured. McElveen has been barred indefinitely from stepping onto campus.

“He said he put his bookbag down and it went off—he said he didn’t know it was in there,” said Princess, an employee at Chick-fil-A, adding that McElveen said he had left his bag unattended briefly at the bus station before coming to work.

“He made history—today is Duke history,” Princess said. “He goes down as the dumbest criminal.”

In addition to the gun charges, McElveen was charged with misdemeanor possession of marijuana, Dailey said.

McElveen has worked at the University since the end of 2009. Dailey said he could not comment on McElveen’s future employment status.