|
|
![]() |
| Photo by Joe Imel/Daily News Bowling Green Police Sgt. Mitch Walker and other law enforcement officers rush to secure a perimeter Wednesday around Western Kentucky University’s South Campus after reports of armed men on the campus. Reports of gunfire caused officials to place both main and South campuses on lockdown for several hours, though officials now say that no shots were fired. - Click here for Daily News video from the WKU lockdown at South Campus and PFT. - Click here for Daily News video from Wednesday afternoon's press conference with Howard Bailey. - Click here for Daily News video from President Ransdell's Thursday morning press conference.
|
|
|
advertisement |
Police are still searching for the individuals involved in two altercations that led to unfounded reports of shots being fired and the lockdown of Western Kentucky University’s main and South campuses Wednesday.
Five students who were taken into custody Wednesday at WKU were released after being questioned.
Those students were never arrested and while they all had information about the altercations, there is no evidence that they were involved in the fight that occurred on either South Campus or the main campus, said Chief Robert Deane of the WKU Police Department.
Both incidents remain under investigation and it’s possible that some of those involved were not students, he said.
“We’re receiving a lot of information and conflicting reports,” Deane said.
Potential charges for those involved could be as severe as assault.
The first call to campus police was about an altercation on South Campus at 11:25 a.m., WKU President Gary Ransdell said in a news conference this morning.
- Click here for Daily News video from President Ransdell's Thursday morning press conference.
The first call to city police was received at 11:37 a.m. The caller reported four males walking though South Campus with guns, threatening people, said Officer Barry Pruitt, spokesman for the city police department.
The first calls from main campus to city police were made at 12:39 p.m. Three calls were received close together. The first indicated that shots had been fired at Pearce-Ford Tower, Pruitt said.
Those involved in the incident at South Campus came to main campus and started the second altercation, Ransdell said.
Another caller stated that as many as 50 people were fighting outside PFT, Pruitt said. The third call reported fighting outside the residence hall, but the caller said there were no weapons.
“We received two calls that stated there were shots fired, but at this time, we have not been able to verify those reports,” Deane said.
By noon, dozens of law enforcement officers had arrived on the scene from several agencies, including the Western’s police department, the Warren County Sheriff’s Office, Bowling Green police and Kentucky State Police. The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives arrived later.
Officers searched the building on South Campus, and no one was taken into custody there.
Shortly after the 12:39 p.m. call, WKU police searched campus as law enforcement from multiple agencies set up a wide perimeter around PFT.
Several students were forced to the ground at gunpoint as police looked for suspects.
- Click here for more photos from Wednesday's incidents at WKU.
- Click here for Daily News video from the WKU lockdown at South Campus and PFT.
Deane said an incident in front of the Guthrie Tower occurred because several students approached officers claiming they had information about the incidents.
“Then, several other students became involved and tried to stop them,” he said.
Kim Carter of Louisville alleged today at a WKU press conference that law enforcement officers on campus acted inappropriately toward students by grabbing and pointing weapons at them. She wanted to know what Deane was going to do about the officers’ actions.
Carter has a son, daughter and step-daughter who attend Western, she said. She declined to name the students.
“My son was grabbed by the neck and a gun was pointed at him. My daughter came out of a building and a gun was put in her face,” she said.
Deane said he did not have information about Carter’s specific concerns, but that he would be glad to speak with her and look into it.
One student suffered a minor injury while trying to break up the fight at PFT, said Howard Bailey, vice president of student affairs at Western.
“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,” he said.
- Click here for Daily News video from the Wednesday afternoon press conference with Howard Bailey.
The two campus fights Wednesday stemmed from an incident Saturday at a Black Men At Western event outside the Garrett Conference Center, Bailey said. None of the members of that organization was involved in any of the altercations.






