Statement from UMass Lowell Police Chief Ron Dickerson

This afternoon UMass Lowell police learned of reports of a male walking behind the Riverview Suites residence hall on South Campus carrying an object that appeared to be a firearm. We were also aware of a video shared on social media that showed this individual.

To be clear: At no time was this an active shooter incident, and we’ve received no reports of a shooting or of any injuries.

 A campus-wide shelter in place order was issued as officers from UMass Lowell, the City of Lowell and State Police attempted to locate this individual. All classes and events on campus were canceled for the remainder of the day.

 After an extensive search and investigation involving city and state police partners, law enforcement determined the suspect was no longer in the vicinity. The shelter in place order was lifted shortly after 5:15 p.m. (However, classes and events remained canceled for the rest of the day.)

 A large police presence remains on campus, and officers have been assigned to each of the university’s residence halls overnight. In addition, the university will be offering dedicated counseling sessions across campus this evening and tomorrow. 

 We continue to investigate this incident and are actively working to locate this individual.

 Anyone with information is asked to contact the UMass Lowell Police Department at 978-934-2398 or City of Lowell police at 978-937-3200.