Five students taken into custody in WKU incidents

By the Daily News
Wednesday, October 22, 2008 6:53 PM CDT

Five people were in custody Wednesday afternoon after unfounded reports of gunfire on Western Kentucky University’s main and South campuses caused lockdowns at both locations.

WKU officials said two altercations that led to the gunfire reports did not involve weapons and stemmed from a previous dispute Saturday.

Five students were taken into custody for questioning but officials said none had been arrested by 4 p.m. Wednesday.

Howard Bailey, vice president of student affairs, said at 11:25 a.m. city police received a call indicating a physical altercation was taking place at South Campus. By 11:48 a.m., another call was received indicating that shots had been fired.

After other calls indicated shots had also been fired at Pearce Ford Tower residence hall, officials sent out text messages to students and WKU employees as a “preventive measure because of the information we’d received,” Bailey said.

“There is a report that shots have been fired at or around PFT. Please stay away, and stay indoors until further notice. Thanks. Dick K,” one of the messages read.

Bailey said the text alerts were sent out to students at 12:30 and 12:48 p.m. while the campus was placed on lockdown until determined safe around 3:07 p.m.

When asked if the texts only increased alarm, Bailey said “what we did was make the right decision on behalf of the safety of students.

“There has not been any shots fired at this time and there is no confirmation that any weapons were seen,” Bailey said at a press conference Wednesday afternoon.

The altercations were said to stem from a dispute on Saturday at a Black Men At Western event outside the Garrett Conference Center, Bailey said.

Sherry Reid, dean of the community college at the South Campus, said she was in her office when a student notified her of a fight taking place outside the building.

Reid said she saw the victim of the fight who was walking by without a shirt on, but would not answer her questions. The dean said the fight allegedly started with two individuals and the victim but expanded as others joined in as well.

“I think there were too many students that got involved and it got scary,” she said.

Reid said she contacted WKU police after the men allegedly went into the building and reports circulated of guns.

While officials evacuated and secured the building, police received reports of shots fired on the main campus.

WKU police had an active team searching campus as law enforcement set up a perimeter around PFT.

Several students were forced to the ground at gunpoint as police looked for suspects.

Three men were taken into custody from PFT while another was removed from the Preston Health & Activity Center.

“Within two hours and 30 minutes, we were able to go from a secure standpoint to be able to state all was clear and campus may be back to a normal state,” Bailey said.

Bailey said classes are on track to resume as scheduled Thursday as officials begin to assess their response.

See Thursday’s Daily News for further updates