CEDAR CITY — Early Thursday afternoon, nearly four hours after an unspecified telephone threat prompted a lockdown of all Southern Utah University facilities, university officials announced that all campus areas and buildings had been searched and cleared by law enforcement personnel.
A message sent via the university’s campus-wide alert system at 1:10 p.m. reads as follows:
“All remaining buildings at SUU – have been searched and cleared by law enforcement. It is now safe to exit all remaining buildings and clear the area, while following law enforcement instructions. You may receive multiple or delayed text message notifications, please reference emails that are also being sent with the same information. All classes and activities are canceled for today.”
As previously reported, the lockdown was triggered by what police said was a suspicious phone call that mentioned the threat of an active shooter on campus. SUU Police Chief Carlos Medina said the call was received at approximately 9:20 a.m. by Southern Utah University’s police dispatch.
An initial emergency alert was sent to students and staff at 9:23. Ten minutes later, at 9:33, another alert went out saying that a lockdown was being implemented and that students were to lock doors and shelter in place until cleared by law enforcement.
Then, at approximately 9:50 a.m., another alert that included a description of a possible suspect was released, along with continued lockdown procedures.
“It’s highly unlikely that the possible suspect was actually involved in this threat,” states a news release sent out from the SUU Office of Marketing Communication at 2:14 p.m.
That latest release also confirms that there is no indication of any gunshots being fired.
Although there were reports of noises that sounded like possible shots being fired near the Science Building around 10 a.m., those reports turned out to be unfounded, according to the release.
“Shortly after, law enforcement was able to confirm that no shots had been fired at or near that building,” the release states.
As for whether the suspicious phone call is suspected to have been a hoax, Medina noted that the investigation is still active and ongoing.
“Until we find out in our investigation that it was a hoax, then we’ll call it that,” Medina told KUTV News around noon. “But as of right now, it’s an active investigation and we’re treating it as an active shooter.”
“They are still trying to determine the source of the call,” added Becki Bronson, SUU’s assistant vice president over community and government relations. “As it’s part of an active investigation, until they have confirmation, they won’t release any information.”
By 12:05 p.m., the lockdown had started to be lifted at selected buildings after they had been searched and deemed safe. A total of 48 buildings were cleared, according to university officials.
“Alerts were sent to campus regularly throughout this incident,” the release adds. “No shots were fired. No one was injured. While there is not an active threat, in order to allow everyone to care for themselves, SUU has closed its campus for the remainder of the day, including canceling all classes, activities, and services.”
SUU officials say there is no longer an active threat to campus and that all regularly scheduled classes and activities will resume on Friday.
Support services are available for the campus community at suu.edu/mentalhealth and suu.edu/hr/benefits/eap. Students and employees may also call SUU’s Counseling and Psychological Services at 435-865-8621 for assistance.
SUU President Mindy Benson was quoted in the afternoon news release as saying:
We are grateful to SUU Police and the many local law enforcement agencies for their swift response and superb coordination, prioritizing safety on our campus and in our community. Thank you to all who were an important part of the successful resolution of the situation.
Among the various agencies and entities that responded and assisted during the incident were Iron County Sheriff’s Office, Iron Metro SWAT, SUU Police, Utah Highway Patrol, Cedar City Police, Iron County Attorney’s Office, Utah Adult Probation and Parole, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, Enoch City Police, Beaver County Sheriff’s Office, Garfield County Sheriff’s Office and Brian Head Marshal’s office.
Iron County School District schools, particularly those closest to the SUU campus, were also briefly placed in “secure” mode, meaning that school activities and classes continued as normal but nobody was allowed to leave or enter the buildings. A number of Cedar City residents and businesses near the SUU campus also received reverse 911 alerts notifiying them of the situation and advising them to shelter in place.
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