Washington University in St. Louis cleared an emergency alert Tuesday morning after receiving reports of an armed person on campus. An alert issued at 9:18 a.m. warned of an armed person on Danforth Campus, prompting students to shelter in place while police searched the area around Brookings Hall. The incident sparked a swift emergency response across multiple jurisdictions, but ultimately ended without any confirmed threat to the campus community.
The situation moved quickly from alert to resolution. An armed person was reported at the Danforth Campus around 9:19 a.m., and several police departments responded to search buildings on campus after 9:15 a.m., with the university sending text alerts to students and staff. At 10:21 a.m., WashU Emergency Management issued an all-clear after police completed their search and did not locate an armed individual. The entire incident lasted just over an hour before normal campus operations resumed.
Officers searched Washington University buildings and found no one carrying a weapon, despite the report of an armed person. The campus police department received multiple reports of an individual with a weapon, but believes the reports were not a credible threat. Police confirmed there is no active threat to campus and that no armed individual was located during the thorough search. The incident tested the university's emergency response capabilities, and the coordinated effort between police departments and campus administration allowed for a swift return to normal operations.