Shelter-in-place order issued at UMass Lowell after report of man carrying weapon
Update: Shelter-in-place at UMass Lowell lifted as of 5:30 p.m.
A campus-wide shelter-in-place order was issued at UMass Lowell Wednesday afternoon in response to a report that a man was seen at the university carrying what looked like a firearm, according to a notice on the university's website .
Authorities are still in the process of searching for the man, but Lowell police told MassLive through a representative that there was not an active shooter on campus as of 3:40 p.m. The website notice was updated shortly after 4 p.m. to clarify that no shootings have been reported on campus.
Massachusetts State Police wrote on social media that troopers and local police responded to UMass Lowell in response to a video that appears to show an armed person walking near the Riverview Suites student dorm on Middlesex Street. They asked anyone with information about the man to call 911.
At 4 p.m., the Lowell police notified the community of increased police activity on Middlesex, Pawtucket and Broadway Streets. The police department asked people to avoid the area.
Within minutes, FBI Boston wrote on social media that agents were at the scene as well. At about 4:30 p.m., the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives shared that it had also responded to the incident .
Text messages sent to the UMass Lowell community via its campus emergency alert system shortly after 2:35 p.m. ask people to shelter in place while police investigate an incident. The university's south campus — on which the Riverview Suites is located — was put on full lockdown, while card access was restricted at the north and east campuses, and buses were no longer running, the messages said.
Around 4:45 p.m., texts sent through the alert system stated that police were conducting a "controlled evacuation" of all south campus buildings. Law enforcement will dismiss people building-by-building to allow those who are able to return to their cars or dorms located elsewhere on campus, the messages said.
A Lowell Sun reporter shared screenshots of texts that also appear to be from UMass Lowell's emergency notification system on social media. These state that police are investigating a "weapons incident," and that authorities are searching for a 5-foot-5 asian man wearing a gray or white sweatshirt and black shorts and carrying "a long weapon."
All classes and events at UMass Lowell have been cancelled for the rest of the day, according to the website notice. Wednesday was the first day of classes at the university.
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