CHAPEL HILL – A day after visiting UNC Charlotte following shootings that left two students dead and four injured, Interim UNC System President William L. Roper balanced his sympathy for the victims with praise for the response by UNC Charlotte.

“It is a horrific event that one wishes never had happened, never could happen in the future – but it did happen,” Roper says in the accompanying video.

“I think the entire team at UNC Charlotte did us proud – we feel very good about what they’ve done. But at the same time, of course, we’re deeply sad for the families who lost these two young men and the four injured students – it’s just a tragedy,” he says with a pained expression.

“We want to learn lessons from this that have wider application for the whole UNC System, and how we can be prepared to deal with the things that we hope never occur,” he says.