Yale University officials confirmed a report of a person with a gun on campus Monday morning.
At an afternoon press conference, New Haven Police Public Information Officer David Hartman said that at 9:30 a.m., an anonymous male caller contacted police from a pay phone, stating that his roommate was on the way to campus intending to shoot people. Hartman said the call "was much more of a statement than a report to police."
Shortly thereafter, two witnesses called police saying they spotted a man carrying a long gun on campus, Hartman said.
No suspect has been identified yet and there have been no reports of gunfire or injuries. Hartman stated that multiple SWAT teams were searching the area, concentrating on Old Campus.
Students received the following text message from the university administration at about 10:17 a.m.:
New Haven Police have received an anonymous call from a phone booth in the 300 block of Columbus Avenue (between Howard Avenue and Hallock Street) reporting a person on the Yale Campus with a gun. There have been NO confirmations or sightings of this person. Yale and New Haven Police are in the area. If you have information, please call 911 immediately. The Yale Police Department advises those on campus to remain in their current location until there is additional information.
At 11:02 a.m., a confirmation message was sent out:
Confirmed report of person with a gun on/near Old Campus. SHELTER IN PLACE. This is NOT a test.
Former student and science lab employee Linda Chang, 23, told HuffPost Crime early Monday afternoon that she'd never seen a "shelter in place" order on the Yale campus before. "We're all kind of hiding out," she said. "I've heard a few sirens… They're keeping everything hush hush."
Chang said she was holed up in an area of the campus called Science Hill, about a 15-20 minute walk from the old campus, she said.
Dorsa Amir, a 23-year-old graduate student getting her PhD in anthropology, said the scene was surreal.
“I’m looking out the window now. There are police officers and ambulances everywhere,” Amir told HuffPost Crime. “I’m a little bit nervous, it’s a little disconcerting. I just saw several ambulances drive by.”
Amir, who said she was three blocks away from where a police perimeter has been set up, said that while the emergency texts and e-mails from the campus have been helpful and efficient, she worries about those not getting them.
“A lot of people are walking around campus because [the alerts] only go to Yale students, so I’m a little concerned,” she said. “There was a broadcast announcement outside on the lawn, but I only heard it once.”
Despite reports of most students being away from campus for the start of the Thanksgiving holiday, Amir said many students remained on campus.
“A lot of students are still here because break just started,” she said. “As far as I’m concerned, there are still a lot of people on campus.”
As of 3:30 p.m., the lockdown was lifted with the exception of Old Campus.
Yale's Old Campus is a group of buildings near the northwest end of the green, including Connecticut Hall, the university's oldest building.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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