Gunfire echoed near the east end of Marshall University’s campus Monday night causing concern for nearby residents.

According to an eyewitness account, a suspect fired one shot in front of 7-Eleven on the 1900 block of Fifth Avenue and fled.

According to 7-Eleven employees, bystanders sought refuge inside of the building until the Huntington Police Department arrived.

HPD recovered a shell casing along with a description of the suspect’s vehicle, according to Huntington Police Chief Joe Ciccarelli.

Marshall students were not informed of the shooting.

Ginny Painter, senior vice president for communications and marketing at Marshall, said the university was not notified of the incident.

Painter said the incident occurred outside of the boundary requiring Marshall to alert students.

“If we receive a timely notice of an incident occurring in close proximity to campus, even if it’s not within those geographical boundaries,” Painter said, “we elect to issue alerts if it is determined there is an ongoing threat to campus safety.”

Painter said she had no details on the situation and could not speculate as to whether it was “an ongoing threat to campus safety” or not.

Kelsey Hanlon, sophomore and resident of Twin Towers West, did not hear the gunshot but said she felt uncomfortable not being informed.

Sophomore Ciana Crawford said she believes more action could be taken.

“I think Huntington police should automatically notify Marshall if anything happens within three blocks of campus,” Crawford said.

HPD has no suspects at this time.

Tyler Ferris can be contacted at [email protected].