UMass Boston Given the All-Clear After Reports of 'Public Safety Threat' By Bethany Brown

The University of Massachusetts Boston urged the public to avoid part of its campus because of a “public safety threat” Thursday afternoon.

The school posted several alerts on X, initially referring to a “police incident” at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate.

Follow-ups later said there was an incident, then a “public safety threat,” at the Residence Hall East building.

Students and staff also received a text reading: “Students in the dorms stay in your rooms, do not answer the doors for anyone unless it is the police,” per Boston 25.

The all-clear was given a few hours later.

Massachusetts State Police immediately responded to the area on Thursday, Sept. 11, and said that troopers were looking into “an unconfirmed report of a shooting on campus.”

Within a few hours and after searching the area, they announced there was no confirmation of any gunfire or people with guns on campus, according to NBC 10.

UMass Boston then posted another update to X, saying there was no threat to the community.

Police said the investigation is ongoing and have asked anyone with information about the incident to report it. Classes and activities have been canceled for the remainder of the day.

This comes just over a week after the University of Massachusetts Lowell campus was placed under a shelter-in-place order after video surfaced showing someone holding what appeared to be a gun.

It was later determined to be a teenager with an airsoft rifle, according to CBS, citing police.

The news is the latest chaos on American universities this week, following the assassination of right-wing media personality Charlie Kirk on the Utah Valley University campus on Wednesday. On Thursday, several historically Black colleges and universities locked down and canceled classes after receiving threats.