Gunman alleged loose on Yale campus

November 25, 2013

Yale University in, Connecticut, alerted students today that a gunman was loose on campus. The university asked students to "shelter in place" and warned students who are off-campus to stay away from the university. The university lifted the lockdown some hours later.

At 10:17 AM, a message was sent to Yale's students from the university saying that the New Haven Police had received an anonymous phone call from a public pay phone on Columbus Avenue saying that a person with a gun was loose on the Yale campus. A further update at 11:57 am EST noted that campus police and New Haven police were both on campus. Yale's student newspaper,, reported that SWAT teams were spotted on campus.

At 1:45 PM (EST), Yale's emergency alert system indicated the lockdown was still in place, and that police officers were planning to do a door-to-door search of Yale University starting with student residences. Sources indicated that as of 1:55 PM (EST) no suspect was in custody, but the lockdown was anticipated to remain in place for "several hours."

The university lifted the lockdown at about 5 PM (EST). Police stated the information leading to the alert was likely a prank, and if so they intended to find and prosecute the responsible party. University vice-president Linda Koch Lorimer stated on the university's emergency alert system after the lockdown was lifted, "The safety of our community is our paramount priority. I want to underscore our collective thanks to the superb mobilization of the Yale, New Haven, and State Police, and the FBI, as well as Yale’s own Emergency Response team."