A shooting that left two people dead and four others wounded at a North Carolina university has prompted fresh calls to keep US college campuses safe.

A vigil is planned at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte, where the shooting rocked the last day of classes on Tuesday.

The state governor has vowed to take a hard look at what happened in order to prevent future shootings.

Roy Cooper said: “A student should not have to fear for his or her life when they are on our campuses.

“Parents should not have to worry about their students when they send them off to school. And I know that this violence has to stop. In the coming days we will take a hard look at all of this to see what we need to do going forward.”

Campus police chief Jeff Baker said authorities received a call in the late afternoon that a suspect armed with a pistol had shot several students.

Emergency vehicles at the campus of University of North Carolina at Charlotte after a shooting (John Simmons/The
Emergency vehicles at the campus after the shooting (John Simmons/The Charlotte Observer via AP)

Officers assembling nearby for a concert rushed to the classroom building and arrested the gunman in the room where the shooting took place.

“Our officers’ actions definitely saved lives,” Mr Baker said at a news conference.

Two people were killed, and three remain in critical condition. Mr Baker said a fourth person’s injuries were less serious.

College shooting
UNC Charlotte Chancellor Philip DuBois receives a hug after a news conference on the shooting (AP)

Students were among the victims, but officials would not say how many.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department identified the suspect as Trystan Andrew Terrell, 22, who is currently in custody.

Monifa Drayton, an adjunct professor, was walking onto campus when she heard the shots. She said she directed students fleeing the scene to take cover inside a parking deck.

She said: “My thought was, I’ve lived my life, I’ve had a really good life, so, these students deserve the same. And so, whatever I could do to help any child to safety, that’s what I was going to do.”

The shooting prompted a lockdown caused panic across campus.

The university has more than 26,500 students and 3,000 faculty and staff. The campus is northeast of the city centre and is surrounded by residential areas.