Campus Alert Archive
Bowie State

Dawn Bomb Threat Forces Multi-Hour Lockdown at Maryland's Oldest HBCU

MDbomb threatemergency notificationmedium confidence
UnfoundedNo evidence of an actual threat was found. The institutional response is documented because the alert communication is identical to what would occur during a real incident.

Bowie State University received a bomb threat shortly before 6 a.m. EST on January 31, 2022, as part of a coordinated wave targeting HBCUs nationwide. A shelter-in-place was issued at approximately 7:30 a.m. while the Office of the State Fire Marshal, Maryland State Police, and Prince George's County Fire Department conducted K-9 sweeps. The university lifted the shelter-in-place shortly before 2 p.m. EST after no devices were found.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
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Institution
Bowie State University
Hbcu · MD
~6,300 studentsBEES (Bowie State Electronic Emergency System)
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence · 1 verified verbatim

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTTwitter/X
Verified verbatimBowie State University official Twitter/X post (@bowiestate)230 chars
Due to a bomb threat on campus, BSU will be closed temporarily today January 31, 2022. Emergency personnel are evaluating the situation. All persons on campus are advised to shelter in place until further information is available.
Posted to Bowie State's official @bowiestate Twitter/X account on January 31, 2022 -- the post is preserved on the platform
Marked as part 1 of 2 ('1/2') in the original tweet -- indicating a paired follow-up update
Initial threat call was received shortly before 6 a.m. EST by City of Bowie Police; the formal shelter-in-place to campus was issued at approximately 7:30 a.m. EST and lasted roughly six and a half hours
Office of the State Fire Marshal K-9 units, Maryland State Police, and Prince George's County Fire Department all participated in the sweep alongside campus police
ALL CLEAREmail
Approximate reconstruction327 chars
The shelter-in-place order has been lifted. The Office of the State Fire Marshal, Maryland State Police, and Prince George's County Fire Department have completed their K-9 sweep of campus. No explosive devices were found. Normal campus operations may resume. Please continue to report any suspicious activity to campus police.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed from news coverage; exact original text not available
Roughly six-and-a-half-hour gap between the 7:30 a.m. shelter-in-place and the shortly-before-2 p.m. all-clear reflects the thoroughness of the K-9 sweep
Bowie State is Maryland's oldest HBCU, founded in 1865
Context

Background

Bowie State University, founded in 1865 as the oldest HBCU in Maryland, was among the institutions targeted in a coordinated wave of bomb threats against historically Black colleges and universities in January and February 2022. According to WTOP, a bomb threat call was received by the City of Bowie Police shortly before 6 a.m. EST on January 31; a formal campus shelter-in-place was issued around 7:30 a.m. The Office of the State Fire Marshal, Maryland State Police, and Prince George's County Fire Department deployed K-9 bomb-detection teams to sweep campus buildings. The university lifted the shelter-in-place shortly before 2 p.m. EST after no devices were found. No devices were found at Bowie State or at any of the other HBCUs targeted that day. The FBI investigated the threats as racially motivated hate crimes, eventually identifying a juvenile believed responsible for the majority of the threats in the broader campaign that targeted dozens of HBCUs and produced at least 57 bomb threats against HBCUs and other institutions.
Analysis

Key Findings

The roughly six-and-a-half-hour shelter-in-place highlights the operational burden bomb threats impose on smaller institutions with limited security infrastructure
Bowie State's proximity to Washington, D.C. enabled a multi-agency K-9 response combining the Office of the State Fire Marshal, Maryland State Police, and Prince George's County Fire Department
The January 31 wave hit multiple HBCUs simultaneously, stretching federal and state law enforcement resources across jurisdictions
Outcome
All-clear issued shortly before 2 p.m. EST after K-9 sweeps by the Office of the State Fire Marshal, Maryland State Police, and Prince George's County Fire Department found no explosive devices. FBI investigated as part of the broader HBCU bomb threat wave.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Multiple HBCUs receive bomb threats on January 31 -- NBC News
    nbcnews.com
  2. News
    Bowie State University bomb threat forces shelter-in-place -- WBAL-TV
    wbaltv.com
Tags
bomb-threathbcuhbcu-bomb-wave-2022racially-motivatedcoordinated-threatmarylandUnfounded
Added April 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion