On a Tuesday afternoon, the sense of security at Bridgewater College was shattered by sudden violence that resulted in the death of 55-year-old Campus Police Officer John Elwood Painter. On February 1, 2022, Painter and a colleague, Campus Safety Officer J.J. Jefferson, responded to a call about a suspicious man near Memorial Hall on the college campus. The two officers, who were close friends and known to the college community as the 'dynamic duo,' approached the individual.
Following a brief interaction, the man opened fire, tragically shooting both officers.
The gunman, identified as 27-year-old Alexander Wyatt Campbell, a former student at the college, fled the scene on foot, sparking a manhunt that involved multiple law enforcement agencies. The campus was immediately placed on lockdown as authorities searched for the shooter. Campbell was eventually located off-campus, wading through the North River onto an island where he was taken into custody by police. Investigators later discovered that Campbell had been living illegally in the basement of Memorial Hall for several days prior to the shooting. They recovered multiple firearms connected to him, both on and off campus.
Campbell was charged with multiple felonies, including two counts of capital murder for the deaths of Officer Painter and Officer Jefferson. In the aftermath, Campbell's mother stated that her son was mentally ill and that she had been unable to get him the help he needed. Campbell's attorney requested a mental health evaluation for his client during his initial court appearance. After a judge determined he was mentally fit to stand trial, Campbell was scheduled for trial. However, in February 2024, he pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of using a firearm in the commission of a felony. As a result of a plea agreement, Alexander Wyatt Campbell was sentenced to two life sentences in prison, in addition to six years.
