Shooting threat reported at Stanford

Feb. 16, 2024, 2:02 p.m.

At 12:40 p.m. on Friday, an unidentified person called the non-emergency phone at the Palo Alto Police Department stating that “he was at the entrance to campus and intended to commit a shooting,” according to an AlertSU notification sent out at 1:25 p.m.

The Stanford University Department of Public Safety (SUDPS) responded immediately to the area and “has been evaluating the veracity of the call,” according to the AlertSU. 

The AlertSU was sent to the Stanford community “[o]ut of an abundance of caution.” Community members were not notified to shelter in place.

SUDPS spokesperson Bill Larson wrote in an email to The Daily that the department continues to “actively patrol the campus for any suspicious activity.” 

Larson advised students to immediately report any suspicious activity to 911. 

The SUDPS has “responded to several locations on campus” and “since conducted additional information,” according to an AlertSU notification sent out at 3:14 p.m. 

The department said they had found “no additional information that lends credibility to the threat of a shooting on campus.”

According to Larson, the SUDPS has “not received any information concerning any additional threats.”

Many Stanford groups are exercising additional caution, with some advising students to stay indoors and report suspicious activity immediately.

Resident Assistants at Toyon advised residents to refrain from letting strangers into the dorm.

An email from ​​the Asian American Activities Center announced that the center was closed for the rest of the day. The Roble Arts Gym is also closed for the day.

The anthropology department locked doors, and the political science department canceled an event scheduled for this afternoon.

At around 2:30 a.m. on Saturday, SUDPS responded to reports of gunshot sounds on West Campus. According to Larson, the SUDPS found that the reports were unfounded.

This is a developing story and this article will be updated.

Ellen Kim is a writer for the News section. Contact them at news 'at' stanforddaily.com.

Caroline Chen '26 is a Vol. 266 and Vol. 265 News Managing Editor. She is from Chapel Hill, N.C. and enjoys vegetable farms and long walks. Contact cqchen 'at' stanforddaily.com.

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