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In a stroke of both good fortune and good police work, officers at N.C. A&T arrested a suspect last week in a cold-blooded December robbery that left a Brink's armored car guard dead from a gunshot wound to the head.

Juan Estaban Salado, 25, was fatally shot Dec. 15 as he left the Old Navy store at Friendly Center.

The gunman knew when Salado would arrive to pick up a cash deposit.

Disguised in a wig and hospital scrubs, he waited, he struck, and he fled.

The man, identified by police as Isaam Mattaay Chaplin, 28, is being held in the Guilford County Jail without bond.

The good fortune came in the form of Chaplin not only inexplicably hanging around Greensboro after allegedly committing such a brazen crime. But also being dumb enough to get into trouble while he should have been lying low.

A&T police arrested Chaplin, a former Old Navy employee and former Aggie student, following a scuffle on campus. When running a background check they discovered he was being sought by Greensboro police in connection with the Old Navy murder.

A&T police and Greensboro police, in this case, worked together seamlessly for the good of the whole community.

They should try it more often. The recent spate of violent crime citywide demands that they do.

Broach the word "shooting" these days in Greensboro and the response is likely to be, "Which one?"

The one at the crowded movie theater?

The one involving teenage gang members whose bullets lodged in a frightened young girl's bedroom wall?

The three shootings of A&T students?

The incident last week involving a bank robbery, a high-speed chase and a shootout that left one policeman injured and a 22-year-old robber dead?

Gun violence has become so common that it's getting hard to keep count.

At A&T, senior Dennis Hayle's death in particular has shaken the souls of students and administrators.

When the news broke, I immediately checked my class roll. I had just begun another semester teaching journalism at A&T and wanted to make sure he wasn't one of mine.

He was shot Jan. 25 in the breezeway of Campus Courtyard Apartments on Homeland Avenue. I know that area well because I park near it regularly.

Days earlier, another A&T student was shot in the same complex.

Less than two weeks later, on Feb. 7, still another was shot in an off-campus house in an apparent robbery attempt.

In an interview last week, N.C. A&T's vice chancellor for development and university relations, Mark Kiel, outlined a list of actions the school was taking in light of the recent violence.

Foremost on the list was working more closely with city police. That would seem a given, but both entities, at least briefly, appeared more inclined to point fingers than join hands.

Kiel would not say whether the A&T police would extend patrols to apartments off campus, but state law does allow campus police to "join in mutual aid agreements with other agencies."

"What is going to happen is that there is going to be some shared responsibility," Kiel said in an interview last week.

Toward that end, Kiel said, Greensboro Police Chief Tim Bellamy has met with A&T Police Chief Glenn Newell.

"A&T has a responsibility for its students' safety," Kiel said. "The city of Greensboro has a responsibility for keeping all of its people safe."

Other measures the school is taking:

* In a partnership with City Councilwoman Goldie Wells, A&T plans a community forum on crime and safety issues, tentatively scheduled for March 2.

* School officials will meet with managers of apartments that cater to students to discuss security concerns.

* Orientation for new students will include a greater emphasis on safety, as well as furnish information about area apartment complexes and the level of security each provides.

* The school will encourage students to choose campus housing over apartments. Roughly one-third of A&T students live in dormitories. With new residence halls complete, there is room for more.

"We want to get this right," Kiel said. The surge in gun violence citywide should make all of us want to get this right. As we've learned the hard way in the recent past, no part of town is immune. Not Fisher Park (2008 convenience store robbery and fatal shooting). Not Lawndale Drive (2008 armed robberies). Not Friendly Center (the Brink's tragedy).

If we as a community fail to address the symptoms of this problem, and its roots, it's only a matter of time before it reaches your doorstep. And mine.