Freshman shooter who shot dead one Delta Chi frat brother and injured three more says he grabbed gun after he was punched in the face

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Suspected Northern Arizona University gunman Steven Jones, 18, was charged with a count of first-degree murder and three counts of aggravated assault on Friday

A Northern Arizona University freshman has been arrested and charged with first-degree murder after killing a fellow student and injuring three of the victim's fraternity brothers in an early morning campus shooting.

Flagstaff Police Chief Greg Fowler identified the shooter as freshman Steven Jones, 18, and the victim as fellow student Colin Brough.

Fowler says that the fatal shooting broke out after members of two 'student groups' got into a confrontation in a parking lot outside Mountain View Hall -  the campus' all-Greek dorm where the majority of the school's fraternity and sorority members live. 

When the fight turned physical, Fowler says Jones pulled out a handgun and shot Brough - a member of the fraternity Delta Chi - to death. 

Brough's fraternity brothers Nicholas Prato, Kyle Zientek and Nicholas Piring were also injured, after reportedly tackling the gunman to the ground. 

However Jones - a pledge for the Sigma Chi Fraternity - says that he retrieved his gun in self-defense after several people approached him and two friends.

Jones told campus police that he was punched in his face and then chased to his car, when he got his gun.

He claims he warned the brothers that he would shoot, and fired at two when they continued to approach him.

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Steven Jones, 18 (pictured), has been identified as the gunman who shot dead a fellow Northern Arizona University student and injured three more at a party early Friday morning 

Witnesses say the victims were about 10 ft away when Jones allegedly opened fire.

They did not appear to be armed, according to ABC 15. 

Jones also told NVU police he used a flashlight attached to his gun to see where to illuminate the area in the dark.

He allegedly stopped shooting when officers arrived at the scene about 1.20am and subdued him. 

Jones was taken into custody. He has reportedly been cooperating with police. 

Later Friday afternoon, Jones had his first court hearing, where he was ordered held on $2million bail for a charges of felony first-degree murder and three counts of felony aggravated assault. 

Deputy County Attorney Ammon Barker said Jones could have easily walked away from the fight but chose to get his gun and go 'back into the fray'.

Barker says Jones gave "self-serving statements to police."

He also said that Brough, the student that died, was hit with two bullets, one in the chest and one in the shoulder.  

Colin Brough (pictured), a marketing major from Colorado, was the NAU student kille in the early morning shooting

Brough's Delta Chi brothers Kyle Zientek (left), Nicholas Prato (center) and Nicholas Piring (right) were also shot and injured, reportedly while tackling Jones to the ground. They are recovering at the hospital but their conditions are not known

Police officers were called to Mountain View Hall on NAU's campus around 1:20am on Friday. Above, a view of the scene 

Mountain View Hall is an all-Greek dorm, housing most of the campus' fraternity and sorority members. Above, a view of the dorm

Witnesses say that the shooting happened as a party was breaking up in the parking lot adjacent to Mountain View dorm. Above a view of the scene  

The shooting happened around 1:20am. Above, officers are seen arrive outside the dorm early Friday 

The three others who were injured in the shooting were taken to a nearby hospital to be treated for their injuries. 

Their conditions are not currently known, but Fowler says that they all suffered multiple gunshot wounds. 

The four victims were all members of Delta Chi Fraternity. 

Sigma Chi Fraternity executive director Michael Church confirmed in a statement Friday that Steven Jones was seeking membership with its NAU chapter.

Church said the shooting was not associated with any chapter event.

He says Jones was removed from the chapter's pledge program immediately following his arrest. 

Gunman Jones' Instagram page is littered with pictures of him holding guns. Pictured on the right with his father

It's still unclear what propelled Jones to open fire at the early Friday morning fraternity party. Police say the shooting happened after a fight broke out between two 'student groups' 

Jones sports an NAU hooded sweatshirt in a photo posted to his Instagram account 

Student Maria Gonzalez was awake when the shooting happened, and says she first suspected the gunfire was just firecrackers. 

'I was studying for an exam so I looked out the window and see two people running, and that's when I realized they weren't fireworks they were actually gunshots,' she said.

Students were notified of the shooting through a text message alert system, but because of a glitch - most students never got the first warning of the shooting and were only notified later once Jones was in custody. 

NAU freshman Mackenzie Cutrone told the New York Daily News: 'That’s what’s absolutely crazy. The only way I found out about all of this was because of Twitter and Yik Yak.' 

NAU President Rita Cheng also spoke at the morning press conference, describing the tragic shooting at 'isolated and unprecedented'.  

Students embrace outside a hospital emergency room in Flagstaff, Arizisona on Friday after the shooting

Dozens of students were present at 6am Friday morning for a press conference on the shooting 

The early morning press conference was an emotional affair for many of the students gathered 

However, she said that classes would go on. 

'This is not going to be a normal day at NAU,' she said. 'Our hearts are heavy.'

Following the shooting, Arizona Senator John McCain issued a statement, saying his thoughts and prayers were with the victims and their families.

'I appreciate the efforts of all state and local law enforcement officials, first-responders and school administrators, and continue to pray for the recovery of the injured, as well as all those in the NAU community who have been impacted by this terrible tragedy,' Senator McCain said. 

NAU plays a major role in the northern Arizona city of Flagstaff. The 4-year public university has more than 25,000 total undergraduates.

The Friday morning shooting marked the 144th shooting at a school since the Sandy Hook massacre. 

The shooting comes just one week after a shooting at Umpqua Community College on Oregon, which left 10 dead and nine injured. President Obama is set to visit that school today.

The fatal shooting broke out after members of two student groups got into a confrontation in a parking lot outside Mountain View Hall - the campus' all-Greek dorm. Above, a stock image of Mountain View dorm

When the fight turned physical, Fowler says Jones pulled out a handgun and shot one of the other students to death

The national offices of the Delta Chi fraternity confirmed Friday that some of its members were involved in the shooting. Above, the Delta Chi house at NAU. The shooting happened outside a dorm, not the Delta Chi house