To the UMass Lowell Community,

As you know, University Police responded to reports of someone behind the Riverview Suites residence hall on South Campus with an object that appeared to be a firearm around 2:30 p.m. this afternoon. Police obtained a video from social media that showed this individual. 

A campus-wide shelter in place order was issued as officers from UMass Lowell, the City of Lowell and state police worked together to investigate and try to find this person.

Let me be clear: This was never an active-shooter situation. There were no reports of shots, and thankfully there have been no reports of any injuries.

The shelter-in-place order was issued in the interest of our community's safety, and classes and events on campus were canceled for the remainder of today. Law enforcement partners conducted a massive sweep and determined the suspect was no longer in the vicinity.

I cannot express enough thanks to our emergency operations personnel and the dedicated officers of the UMass Lowell police — and our partners with the City of Lowell and State Police, as well as other law enforcement — who reacted quickly and professionally to ensure students, faculty and staff were safe. In total, approximately 100 officers were in the area assisting. Thank you also to our incredible faculty and staff who stayed with and supported our students while sheltering in place.

A large police presence remains on campus, and officers have been assigned to each of the university’s residence halls overnight.

Anyone with information about today’s incident and the suspect is asked to contact the UMass Lowell police or City of Lowell police.

This incident understandably creates anxiety and the need for support among all members of our campus community. Campus will be fully open tomorrow, and trauma specialists will be available starting tonight to provide education and support related to experiencing a traumatic event. Please check your email for details.

Meanwhile, our campus Counseling Services will also have crisis appointments available for students all day tomorrow, and throughout the next week. Students may call 978-934-6800 to make an appointment. In addition, crisis counselors are available 24/7 by phone for UML students and can be reached at 855-890-2879.  

In times like these, I am incredibly grateful for our River Hawk community.  We will continue to support one another and move forward with resilience.

Sincerely,
Julie Chen
Chancellor