A lockdown at William Peace University ended Monday afternoon after it was determined there was no threat to campus. An alert was sent out by the university at 1:26 p.m. saying there was possibly a gunman coming to campus.
University President Brian Ralph stated in a press conference Monday afternoon that the university was made aware of the threat of a gunman on campus by the Raleigh Police Department. According to Ralph, after investigation by the Raleigh police, the person who made the threat is believed to have been a non-student.
There were no injuries and no arrests have been made, according to Ralph.
Evening classes have been canceled, but online classes and university administration will operate on a normal schedule.
“The university issued a PACER ALERT, about a possible threat,” Ralph said. “However, Raleigh police responded quickly and conducted a full investigation and determined there to be no threat.”
“We always err on the side of being over-communicative with any potential threats to campus,” Ralph said. “As soon as we learned a potential threat, we issued [the alert] as quickly as possible.”
The lockdown at the university lasted a couple of hours, and the decision to lift it came after thorough investigation by the Raleigh Police Department.
“We take safety as a very high priority, and we conduct active shooter drills every semester in partnership with Raleigh Police Department,” Ralph said. “Obviously [we are] thrilled that our students, faculty and staff responded quickly and appropriately as the alert was issued.”
When it came to the language of the alert, Ralph said that they intended to tell the those affected as soon as possible so they could take necessary precautions for safety.
Nicholas Davis, a second-year studying musical theater, said there was a campus-wide announcement on loudspeakers alerting students that there was a threat of a potential active shooter. Davis said that it was the first time he heard the sound system used for something that was not a drill.
“We did an active shooter drill earlier in the year, so it was kind of just the same thing,” Davis said. “Wherever you’re at, get into a position where you are not going to be able to be seen.”
John Everett, a fourth-year studying simulation and game design, said that the alert was a shock because in his experience, campus is fairly quiet.
“William Peace, the four years I’ve been here, it’s been nothing but peace,” Everett said. “There’s been no verbal altercations, no physical altercations. When we hear there’s a shooter here, it breaks the reality of our world here.”
According to Ralph, there will be heightened security on campus for the remainder of the day and classes will operate on a normal schedule tomorrow.
*Editor’s Note: This headline has been updated for clarity.
Brian Ralph, president of William Peace University, addresses the media regarding the school's lockdown on Monday, Dec. 3 at William Peace University. A lockdown at William Peace University was lifted Monday afternoon after it was determined there was no threat to campus.
