Update on Lot 7 incident and AlertBG

April 25, 2019

Dear students, faculty and staff:

Last night BGSU police responded to an incident in Lot 7 behind the Bowen-Thompson Student Union. A student accidentally shot himself in the hip inside his vehicle. I am writing to provide some additional details on the incident, outline our protocols for issuing a campus-wide alert and share a reminder on the prohibition of weapons on campus. 

Emergency notifications will be issued immediately through our AlertBG system upon confirmation that any significant emergency or dangerous situation exists that involves the immediate threat to the health or safety of students, employees, guests or visitors on campus. It is only used for those purposes.

You may be wondering why we did not issue an alert last night. In this instance, it was immediately clear that there was no danger to the University community. Initial callers to 911 indicated that an individual had accidentally shot himself. The first officer arrived on scene within 30 seconds of the call and was able to confirm that there was not a broader threat. 

However, I do understand that an incident like this can create apprehension and fear in the community. The University is reviewing its procedures to see how we can better inform the community and quell rumors using our non-emergency communication tools.

Should anyone within our campus community need support, please remember that counselors are available. The BGSU Counseling Center is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday or can be reached via phone at 419-372-2081. 

This incident also raised questions about our policies on weapons on campus. To be clear, students, faculty, staff and visitors are prohibited from having weapons. The only exceptions are for members of law enforcement. For more details, see our policies for weapons, weapons in our residence halls and the carrying of concealed weapons. 

Individuals with concealed carry permits may legally store a secured weapon in their vehicle while on campus. We are still investigating last night’s incident to determine if any laws or policies were violated.

As we shared last night, the student was conscious and alert when he was transported. He is currently at Mercy Health St. Vincent Medical Center in Toledo. 

Sincerely, 

Michael Campbell

Director of Public Safety and Chief of Police