Barb_ Posted March 23, 2013 Share Posted March 23, 2013 Updated from an email sent out to campus residents: TO: UA Campus Community FROM: Melissa Vito, Chair, UA Campus Emergency Response Team DATE: March 28, 2012 SUBJECT: Follow-up on Last Friday’s Incident at UA Administration Building On behalf of the University of Arizona Campus Emergency Response Team (UACERT), I am writing to provide the UA community with a more detailed update on the March 22nd incident that compelled the evacuation of the UA Administration Building. I also want to share lessons learned from this experience. What Happened Last Friday afternoon, March 22, 2013, just before 4:52 pm, a report came into University of Arizona Police (UAPD) of a man with a gun at the Administration Building. The report originated from an unknown person using an electronic device to convey the information in text format to a third-party operator. There was also subsequent information from the same unknown source to the third-party operator that someone had been shot at the Administration Building. The third party operator conveyed the information to the UAPD at 4:52 p.m. last Friday. Despite repeated attempts to obtain more information, the person providing information to the third-party operator was uncooperative in response to questions from the UAPD dispatcher routed through the third party operator. Police officers present at the Administration Building at 4:52 pm when the threat was dispatched observed nothing to indicate that such an incident was taking place. Additional officers from UAPD and the Tucson Police Department arrived and were immediately deployed to respond to the reported incident. Early on, officers on the scene suspected the report was a likely hoax. However, due to the nature of the information, the threat had to be taken seriously. Following our established protocols, the Administration Building was evacuated so that each floor and office could be searched. Officers found no gunman during this extensive search and no one interviewed during the evacuation process reported seeing anyone with a weapon. Status of the Investigation The investigation of this incident is continuing with the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest inoubliable Posted March 23, 2013 Share Posted March 23, 2013 Judging by how many kids/young adults have Special Snowflake Syndrome combined with a pharmacy worth of meds... I don't think campus shootings are going to become rare. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tex-bex Posted March 23, 2013 Share Posted March 23, 2013 Where did you see this? Google is not helping. I'm a U of A alum, so I'm alarmed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tex-bex Posted March 23, 2013 Share Posted March 23, 2013 I found some stories. Scary. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb_ Posted March 23, 2013 Author Share Posted March 23, 2013 I was getting alerts from the campus police. He was reported to have had a rifle and they evacuated administration and modern languages. Apparently the suspect got away. I hope we get resolution, but that usually isn't how it works. I'd like to know if it was somebody after someone in particular or if it was a false alarm or something a lot worse. I warned my daughter to keep alert over the next weeks. Really all I can do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb_ Posted March 23, 2013 Author Share Posted March 23, 2013 Judging by how many kids/young adults have Special Snowflake Syndrome combined with a pharmacy worth of meds... I don't think campus shootings are going to become rare. I'm afraid you're right Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenn in FL Posted March 23, 2013 Share Posted March 23, 2013 :grouphug: Oh Barb... No! Sometimes it truly seems as though the whole world has gone completely insane. Prepare yourself to be completely upended by this unbelievable turn of events. Nothing about it will make any sense, even if they find him. Our family just went through this very same scenario this past Sunday night. Our oldest daughter is an RA at UCF in the dorm where they had a shooter (with an attack plan) who pulled the fire alarm at midnight in order to congregate a large number of students out in the hallways. His checklist indicated that his plan was "to give them hell." Thankfully due to several utterly miraculous events, his plan was thwarted, and he ended up taking his own life before destroying many others. Now a mere five days later, here comes yet another gun toting and presumably armed person wandering about a college campus? Do they have a description? Any tips? Any tips? Any anything? :grouphug: These are certainly not the issues college students and their parents thought they would be worrying about, are they? Many more hugs to you and yours, Jen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb_ Posted March 23, 2013 Author Share Posted March 23, 2013 Jen I saw your post the other day and was thinking about you. At the time I wondered whether it was a matter of time before something happened on the campus where one of our kids attended. When my older girl was at asu she had a close brush with an abusive guy who turned out to be a paranoid bro-nazi who incidentally kepta variety of weapons. He was removed from campus after he tried to kill himself outside her dorm room, but I got the feeling he did it mostly to emotionally manipulate her and punish her for rejecting him. I was pretty terrified for her until she graduated. It didn't come to anything worse though, thank God. But it wasn't a random thing coming from nowhere. Somehow that is worse. My mom said in the 60s it was copycat war protests on campus. In the 70s and 80s it was serial killers preying on college kids. It's odd how these things cycle. According to the latest alert they've secured a perimeter around the administration building. I'm guessing they are feeling pretty sure they have him trapped in there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenn in FL Posted March 23, 2013 Share Posted March 23, 2013 :grouphug: Praying here! Here's hoping they contain him...in one way or another, and resolve this terrifying situation, and take away the immediiate threat to all the innocent parties being affected by his unhinged behavior. No matter what happens, the fear and the unsettled feeling will remain with everyone for quite some time, but at least you would have some closure with regard to this perpetrator. Where is J now? Is she with friends? Please keep updating as you hear more breaking news. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LynnG in Arizona Posted March 24, 2013 Share Posted March 24, 2013 My daughter (also a student at the University of Arizona) called me yesterday to let me know what was going on. Fortunately, she was safely in her apartment off campus . . . but I was still absolutely sick to hear this was going on. From what I understand, there were multiple reports of a guy carrying a gun, so presumably this was not just a false alarm or misunderstanding. It really, really concerns me that he apparently got away. Barb, where was your daughter at the time? She must have been scared. :( So sad for the whole Arizona community, though of course I am thankful that nobody was hurt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unicorn. Posted March 24, 2013 Share Posted March 24, 2013 Judging by how many kids/young adults have Special Snowflake Syndrome combined with a pharmacy worth of meds... I don't think campus shootings are going to become rare. What is special snowflake syndrome? And any updates? Did they catch the guy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest inoubliable Posted March 24, 2013 Share Posted March 24, 2013 What is special snowflake syndrome? And any updates? Did they catch the guy? :huh: http://bit.ly/uQ7xBj No idea on the update. By now, though, you should be able to find that on your own. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted March 24, 2013 Share Posted March 24, 2013 Special Snow Flake? That is such a stretch. People have always been vulnerable and messed up. ALWAYS. Easier access to weapons of mass destruction is one giant piece. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faithr Posted March 24, 2013 Share Posted March 24, 2013 Gee, how did anyone ever learn something before google! Do you mean they actually asked other people and the people graciously answered them and then they had conversations about it??? I am so glad now that google is god and we go there for all our informational needs. These pesky people asking questions when they could be googling for it! I think special snowflake syndrome starts when you can't even answer a question without snarkily implying the questioner is a lazy idiot for not googling first. And now apparently we even have a snarky let me google that for you app. Special snowflake syndrome is the enemy and the enemy is US! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest inoubliable Posted March 24, 2013 Share Posted March 24, 2013 Gee, how did anyone ever learn something before google! Do you mean they actually asked other people and the people graciously answered them and then they had conversations about it??? I am so glad now that google is god and we go there for all our informational needs. These pesky people asking questions when they could be googling for it! I think special snowflake syndrome starts when you can't even answer a question without snarkily implying the questioner is a lazy idiot for not googling first. And now apparently we even have a snarky let me google that for you app. Special snowflake syndrome is the enemy and the enemy is US! Assume much? I wasn't about to link a bazillion places with slightly differing definitions. I'm glad you got a chance to let off a little steam - sounds like you needed it. Just so you know, ff I'm going to bring the snark, you'll know it. My reply upthread wasn't it, sweetie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer3141 Posted March 24, 2013 Share Posted March 24, 2013 Special Snow Flake? That is such a stretch. People have always been vulnerable and messed up. ALWAYS. Easier access to weapons of mass destruction is one giant piece. I'm not sure the special snowflake thing has anything to do with school shooters. Esepcially since many of the ones we've studied have seemed to have felt anything but special. You don't kill people because you feel a sense of entitlement. You kill people because you feel... NOTHING. I think the special snowflakes are a whole other problem entirely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unicorn. Posted March 24, 2013 Share Posted March 24, 2013 Gee, how did anyone ever learn something before google! Do you mean they actually asked other people and the people graciously answered them and then they had conversations about it??? I am so glad now that google is god and we go there for all our informational needs. These pesky people asking questions when they could be googling for it! I think special snowflake syndrome starts when you can't even answer a question without snarkily implying the questioner is a lazy idiot for not googling first. And now apparently we even have a snarky let me google that for you app. Special snowflake syndrome is the enemy and the enemy is US! Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LynnG in Arizona Posted March 24, 2013 Share Posted March 24, 2013 And any updates? Did they catch the guy? I have searched for updates and cannot find any. Just went on some Arizona/Tucson news websites, etc., and found no update beyond when the all clear was given on Friday night. I really, really hope they catch this guy before a tragedy occurs . . . assuming that the multiple accounts are true, and that there was indeed a guy walking around with a gun strapped to his body. Really sad situation all around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisbeth Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 Do those schools have gun free policies.? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest inoubliable Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 I'm not sure the special snowflake thing has anything to do with school shooters. Esepcially since many of the ones we've studied have seemed to have felt anything but special. You don't kill people because you feel a sense of entitlement. You kill people because you feel... NOTHING. I think the special snowflakes are a whole other problem entirely. Oh aye. I wasn't clear. I meant that going forward I think we'll see more shootings, not fewer, because of a rising generation of people who are quick to anger over perceived slights to their specialness. JMO, of course. I hear of local stories about local public school kids jumping kids on the way home because someone gave them the stinkeye, you know? I don't think it's farfetched to think that these kids might take it a step further once they get out on their own (in college) and have to deal with problems that they don't know how to handle maturely. Heavily medicated kids could contribute to it, too. Again, JMO. School shooters that we hear about NOW, yes, seem to have completely different issues. I almost think that's scarier. You hear of people who knows these kids saying "Well, yes, looking back I suppose there were signs..." but they weren't obvious enough that someone intervened. It's always a shock when it happens, it's always the quiet one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest inoubliable Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 I have searched for updates and cannot find any. Just went on some Arizona/Tucson news websites, etc., and found no update beyond when the all clear was given on Friday night. I really, really hope they catch this guy before a tragedy occurs . . . assuming that the multiple accounts are true, and that there was indeed a guy walking around with a gun strapped to his body. Really sad situation all around. Bottom of the page. http://nwahomepage.com/fulltext-news?nxd_id=415222 I *think* from all the updates I just looked up, that the police are thinking there was no shooter. No shots fired, no shooter identified, no one with a description other than "man with a rifle". I hope it wasn't a hoax. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb_ Posted March 25, 2013 Author Share Posted March 25, 2013 My daughter (also a student at the University of Arizona) called me yesterday to let me know what was going on. Fortunately, she was safely in her apartment off campus . . . but I was still absolutely sick to hear this was going on. From what I understand, there were multiple reports of a guy carrying a gun, so presumably this was not just a false alarm or misunderstanding. It really, really concerns me that he apparently got away. Barb, where was your daughter at the time? She must have been scared. :( So sad for the whole Arizona community, though of course I am thankful that nobody was hurt. I get the Ualerts on my cell phone and honestly, I can't decide whether it's a good idea or not. I thought when I signed up for them I'd be getting the big-deal reports like the ones the other night, but I get reports do every strong-arm attempt and laptop-snatching. It's a little nerve wracking to tell you the truth. Anyway, Jen was safely holed up in her dorm and we texted back and forth throughout, so that made me feel better. She handled it all better than I did, lol. She said they were sending out updates throughout campus...email? Loudspeakers? No idea...and she seemed to think there was a 911 call and a report of someone not just with a gun but an actual shooting attempt. Which is why they cleared 2 buildings and spent more than five hours going through them. With the all clear they did say there would be an ongoing investigation, so if this was all a big joke (!!) I'm hoping they'll eventually track down whoever called it in. I'm thinking at this point if it wasn't a hoax, wouldn't the caller be stepping forward to do anything possible to catch whoever it was that escaped? Or maybe nerves are just jangling and we see dark shadows everywhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest inoubliable Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 Oh, hey Barb! Happy Birthday! (I just now noticed! D'oh!) Hope you had a great day. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb_ Posted March 29, 2013 Author Share Posted March 29, 2013 Oh, hey Barb! Happy Birthday! (I just now noticed! D'oh!) Hope you had a great day. :) Hey, thanks for the birthday wishes! I just saw this. I updated the first post in case anyone is interested in what happened. It looks like a prank, and the FBI is involved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 Thanks for the update! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brehon Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 Hey, thanks for the birthday wishes! I just saw this. I updated the first post in case anyone is interested in what happened. It looks like a prank, and the FBI is involved. Either a prank or a deliberate false alarm to see how emergency services react and deploy resources. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tex-bex Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 Well, a hoax is annoying and expensive, but I'm relieved there was no gunman. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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