Additional Coverage:
- University of Denver students warned ‘stay away from doors and windows’ as threat remains unclear (themirror.com)
Denver, CO – Students and staff at the University of Denver (DU) were instructed to shelter in place Saturday evening following an unspecified threat near campus, though authorities later clarified the immediate danger to the university itself had passed.
The incident began with a series of alerts from DU Campus Safety via social media. The first alert, issued at 8:08 p.m. MST, read, “DU Alerts: SHELTER IN PLACE Stay away from windows and doors Active threat.”
Ten minutes later, a second message specified, “DU Alerts: SHELTER-IN-PLACE DPD has issued an Emergency alert for an active barricaded subject off-campus. Stay away from doors and windows.”
However, a subsequent update at 8:20 p.m. aimed to reassure the campus community, stating, “no active threat to DU,” but advised, “Stay away from doors and windows until Shelter in place has been lifted.”
The Denver Police Department (DPD) also issued its own shelter-in-place order for a specific area in the southern part of the city, around 2495 South Vine Street. This order, which affects the neighborhood near the DU campus, instructed residents to remain indoors and away from windows and doors “until further notice.”
The exact nature of the initial threat remains unconfirmed by DPD, despite DU Campus Safety’s reference to a “barricaded subject.”
Adding to the confusion, the Denver Public Safety Department clarified in an 8:40 p.m. post that a wireless emergency alert (WEA) had been sent to a “broader area than intended.” The department emphasized that the shelter-in-place order specifically applied to a two-block radius around 2495 S. Vine Street, and recipients outside that immediate zone should disregard the alert.