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Classes resume, Lockwood reopens
Amherst police joined UB Police in searching Lockwood Library and the surrounding area for a possible gunman.
Lockwood Library reopened and classes and all normal university operations on the North Campus resumed on Wednesday after unconfirmed reports of a possible gunman in the library on Tuesday afternoon activated the university’s emergency response plan, closing the library for several hours while UB and Amherst Police searched the building for suspects or weapons.
By 8:30 p.m., a little more than four hours after receiving the first report of possible suspicious activity, UB Police declared the library and surrounding area clear. No suspicious persons or weapons were found. No shots were fired, and no injuries were reported.
UB Police Chief Gerald Schoenle said UB Police responded immediately to the library after receiving the initial call, and UB’s emergency response-and-notification procedures were activated. UB Police evacuated the library and UB officials cancelled evening classes as a precaution.
“We responded to an unconfirmed report with an abundance of caution and no continuing threat to the campus community could be verified,” Schoenle said. "We have increased our police presence on the North Campus today as a precaution.
“The good part of this story is that this was a great test of our emergency system,” he added. “And that emergency reaction plan worked perfectly.”
UB Police increased their patrols on the North Campus late Tuesday evening without incident. The library remained closed for the evening and UB Police were available to escort any student or staff member who had left belongings in the building.
According to Schoenle, the UB Police response began at 4:03 p.m. Tuesday when campus police received a report that a man possibly carrying a weapon was seen at Lockwood Library, the largest and most populated library on the university’s three campuses. Police immediately evacuated the library, checked its surveillance video and then thoroughly searched all six floors of the building and its surroundings for a man fitting the description: white male, early 20s, short brown hair but not a brush cut, 5-foot-6 or taller, light facial hair, navy pea coat, carrying what appeared to be a rifle.
At 4:40 p.m., “UB Alert,” UB’s emergency text-messaging and e-mail system, was activated to approximately 15,000 UB faculty, staff and students who have subscribed to the system, and another e-mail was sent to all faculty, staff and students notifying them that Lockwood had been evacuated and instructing everyone to stay away from the area. UB Alert updates also were posted regularly on UB’s homepage and sent to members of the media.
“Our students were entirely cooperative. I have to give them credit,” Schoenle said. “This was a major disruption to our community, and we do not take it lightly. If we had had an active shooter, we would have acted totally differently.”
Buffalo Police patrolled the South Campus temporarily while UB Police deployed extra officers to the North Campus.
At 8:25 p.m. the Office of the Provost and the Office of University Communications released an electronic statement declaring the investigation over and the library clear without finding any suspicious persons or weapons. A campus-wide emergency alert was issued minutes later announcing Lockwood had been declared safe and no suspects had been found.
"The safety of our students, faculty and staff is always our primary concern," said Provost Satish K. Tripathi. "The university's campus alert and emergency response was enacted quickly and appropriately."
Schoenle said more than 20 off-duty UB police officers responded to the emergency alert and reported to campus to help in the investigation. He also praised the calm and responsible attitude of students and the rest of the campus community while the library and surrounding area were searched and declared safe.
“We took every precaution we could possibly take,” he said. “I believe an individual saw something he thought was a weapon. It could have been a weapon. Or it could have been a tripod for a camera. We couldn’t say for sure.
“At no time was there any threat to anyone,” he added. “There were reports of a possibly suspicious person with what could have possibly been a weapon. I believe an individual thought he saw someone with a weapon. We will follow up with that witness today.”
Schoenle said this morning that his department had received numerous emails and calls—from students, faculty, staff and law enforcement—praising how UB police responded to the crisis. He said he hopes the campus community will remain vigilant to anything that appears to threaten the university’s safety, and hopes students and staff will react the same way if the unfortunate situation occurs again.
“I encourage our community to notify us whenever they see something suspicious,” Schoenle said.
Members of UB’s emergency response team are meeting to debrief, discuss what went well and what areas or procedures need improvement.
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