CWU President releases statement on active shooter false alarm

ELLENSBURG, Wash. — Students, parents and staff at Central Washington University, in Ellensburg are breathing a sigh of relief after reports of an active shooter on campus turned out to be false.

CWU sent out an alert Wednesday evening just after 5:30 p.m. advising that there was an active shooter near the Lind Hall and to avoid the area. Nearly three hours later the University advised students that the reports turned out to be false and that the campus had been secured and deemed safe by police.

University police say they received at least three reports of gunshots in three different buildings on campus. Following a search they determined no shots had been fired.

The university will have counselors on campus Thursday for any students who want to talk about their experience. Extra security will also be on campus.

Central Washington University’s president, James Gaudino, released a statement on the reports and response, in part he wrote:

“I would like to thank our campus police department for their efforts to search and secure all the affected campus buildings and to ensure the safety of our students, staff, and faculty.

I also would like to thank all those on campus who followed police instructions to stay in place and to those off-campus to stay away. The campus responded quickly and in an appropriate way to this episode, and I am most thankful it turned out to be a false alarm.
The campus responded quickly and in an appropriate way to this episode, and I am most thankful it turned out to be a false alarm.

-James L. Gaudino
CWU President

Read his full statement here.

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