The University of South Carolina's busy downtown Columbia campus was the scene of an apparent murder-suicide on Thursday, according to The Associated Press.

The shooting occurred around 1 p.m., and school officials told students and staff members to remain inside; they did not cancel classes. Traffic was affected by the closure of of the main streets of the South Carolina capital, and security was upped at the nearby Statehouse.

Authorities would not say who was involved, but Fox News identified the victim as Raja Fayad, a 45-year-old professor at the university's Arnold School of Public Health. The shooter's name was not available.

State Law Enforcement Division spokesman Thom Berry refused to detail the relationship of the individuals involved, nor did he specify whether the shooting took place in an office or a classroom. However, Berry told the State, "No active shooter other than the two deceased" was part of the incident.

Fayad, an expert in colon cancer, headed the schools division of applied physiology, and law enforcement officials were seen at a home the professor owned in suburban Lexington County, just outside Columbia.

Students, faculty and staff were advised of the situation through Carolina Alert, the university's emergency notification system. People were asked to seek safe shelter, and all school buildings were put on lockdown.

The manager of Subway across from the Arnold School of Public Health said police had ordered the store to lock its doors around 1:30 p.m.

"The road is blocked. Nobody in and nobody out," the unidentified woman said. "We see in the window a bunch of police officers on the road, fire trucks and everything."

Cameron Razzaghi, a 22-year-old University of South Carolina student, said he was worried about some friends he feared might still be inside the health school's building.

Officers in SWAT gear, armed with AR-15s, moved students away from the facility, while South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley cut short a news conference for security concerns.