Dear Cardinal Family,
Today a tragic shooting took place at the Brookland-CUA Metro Station. I would like to encourage our entire community to pray for the soul of the teenage victim who lost his life, and offer our prayers and our sincerest condolences to the young man’s friends and family. And please pray for peace in our city.
I would like to acknowledge how deeply distressing it was for members of our community who were at the Metro station at the time of the shooting. I can only imagine how disorienting it was to have witnessed such a senseless act of violence. The news of a fatal shooting adjacent to campus is unsettling for all of us. I encourage everyone to reach out to someone you trust to talk about your experience.
I would like to share with you what we know, how University officials are responding, and our plans for continuing to protect our campus community.
As soon as the Department of Public Safety (DPS) was alerted to an active threat at the Brookland-CUA station, a CUAlert went out to the campus community with information about the active threat and to avoid that area. In our second alert we told the community to Shelter in Place. As we received information, we passed it on to the community in subsequent alerts.
For the well-being of our students, faculty, staff, and visitors, we canceled evening classes and athletics practices. The shelter in place was lifted after law enforcement canvassed the community and established that an active threat no longer existed.
For more information on the shooting, please watch this press conference with the Metro Transit Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.
Next Steps
Dining hours will continue as normal tonight, as will tonight’s Mass at 8:45 p.m. and Holy Hour at 10 p.m. in Saint Vincent de Paul Chapel. Mullen Library will be closed.
Residential students in need of support tonight should contact the RA on call in their respective residential area as follows:
Gibbons, Caldwell, Seton: 202-774-0778
Centennial Village: 202-774-0779
Flather, Regan, Ryan: 202-774-0780
Opus: 202-774-0781
Millennium North and South: 202-774-0782
Additionally, the Office of the Dean of Students, Campus Ministry and the Counseling Center will be available tomorrow to provide support to the University community.
Starting tonight, DPS will enhance patrols on campus and will continue to for the foreseeable future. Both the Metropolitan Police Department and the Metro Transit Police will increase their patrols near the Metro station and around the campus.
Tomorrow, we will hold all classes and events as normal. The 5:10 p.m. Mass in the Saint Vincent de Paul Chapel will be said for the repose of the soul of the victim who died today.
Going Forward
The broader question is how we as a University community can remain vigilant and work together to keep our campus as safe as possible. We have made many improvements on and around our campus to make it more secure. We increased DPS visibility, armed DPS officers, hired supplemental security, offered more campus safety training classes, hired an emergency coordinator, and we have made progress in installing keycard access and security cameras in all of our buildings.
In the past year I have personally met with Mayor Muriel Bowser and MPD Chief of Police Pamela A. Smith to enlist their help in ensuring the safety of our community. We will continue to partner with our local city officials to work for a safer campus, a safer Brookland, and a safer District.
I extend my heartfelt thanks to our Department of Public Safety, our Office of Emergency Management, our contract security guards, the Metro Transit Police Department, DC Fire and EMS, and the Metropolitan Police Department for their work today to respond quickly to this tragic event.
Please continue to stay informed through official University channels, including the RAVE Guardian app and email, for updates on the situation.
Let us keep those affected by today's events in our thoughts and prayers, and may we find strength and solace in our shared commitment to each other's well-being.
Sincerely,
Peter Kilpatrick
University President
Safety Tips
- Let people know where you are, where you are going, and when you expect to arrive.
- Always try to walk with others.
- Trust your instincts. If something or someone makes you uneasy, avoid the person or leave.
- If you are approached, take note of the person’s appearance, clothing, and anything unusual that will help you identify the suspect.
- Report any suspicious individuals to the Department of Public Safety.
- Call 9-1-1 to report crimes that occur away from campus.
- Do not confront or engage any suspicious people.
- Download Rave Guardian and turn your cell phone into a personal safety tool.
- Program DPS into your cell phone for emergencies: 202-319-5111.
- Call DPS for a safety escort around campus if you feel a need.