Campus Alert Archive
CCRI

Armed Intruder From Bus Triggers CCRI Lockdown — But Alert Goes to Wrong Campus First

RIarmed personemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

On March 6, 2025, a 911 call at approximately 12:30 PM EST reported a man threatening someone with a knife on a RIPTA bus heading to CCRI's Lincoln campus. The suspect, 48-year-old Junior Sage, entered campus carrying an airsoft-style pistol and pocket knives. CCRI's initial lockdown alert was mistakenly sent to the Warwick campus, causing widespread confusion. A corrected alert followed two minutes later. Sage was arrested without incident around 1:15 PM.

Alerts
4
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
Community College of Rhode Island
Community College · RI
~13,000 students
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

4 messages in sequence · 2 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 ALERTmulti-channel
Approximate reconstruction159 chars
Lockdown at the Warwick Campus. Based on location, decide to run, hide or fight. Seek shelter, turn off lights and silence your cell phone. Wait for all-clear.

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

This alert was sent in ERROR to the Warwick campus at 12:46 PM EST on March 6, 2025, when the actual incident was at the Lincoln campus
The misdirected alert caused panic at the Warwick campus while Lincoln campus students were initially uninformed
The 'run, hide or fight' language follows the standard ALICE/active threat protocol
CORRECTIONmulti-channel+2 min
Approximate reconstruction91 chars
CCRI LINCOLN CAMPUS ONLY: LOCKDOWN. Possible suspect with gun. Other campuses NOT impacted.

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

Sent at 12:48 PM EST, just two minutes after the erroneous Warwick campus alert, correcting the location to Lincoln campus
The correction explicitly stated 'Other campuses NOT impacted' to address the confusion caused by the initial misdirected alert
The formal shelter-in-place order was not issued until 12:56 PM, 10 minutes after the first alert
UPDATEsocial-media+10 min
Verified verbatimCCRI official Facebook page (verbatim shelter-in-place post)158 chars
ALERT – LINCOLN CAMPUS: Shelter in Place (office, classroom, or other safe place). Close doors/windows. Do NOT leave campus. Wait for additional instructions.
Verbatim formal shelter-in-place order posted to CCRI's official Facebook page at approximately 12:56 PM EST on March 6, 2025 — 10 minutes after the misdirected Warwick alert and 8 minutes after the Lincoln correction
Preserves the source's en-dash in the 'ALERT – LINCOLN CAMPUS' prefix and the capitalized 'NOT' for emphasis exactly as posted
Unlike the fragmented earlier texts, this message gave concrete actionable instructions (where to shelter, close doors/windows, do not leave) rather than the generic ALICE run-hide-fight language
ALL CLEARsocial-media
Verified verbatimRhode Island Current reporting reproducing the CCRI Facebook all-clear post verbatim — 'ALL CLEAR - CAMPUS: All clear. Law enforcement has determined that the campus is safe. Campus is now open for faculty and staff.'128 chars
ALL CLEAR - CAMPUS: All clear. Law enforcement has determined that the campus is safe. Campus is now open for faculty and staff.
Verbatim all-clear posted to CCRI's Facebook page at approximately 1:30 PM EST, roughly 45 minutes after the initial lockdown
The 'ALL CLEAR - CAMPUS:' prefix and duplicate repetition ('All clear. Law enforcement...') is characteristic of automated mass-notification systems that prepend a category label
A press conference was held at approximately 2:45 PM to provide details about the incident and arrest
Context

Background

On March 6, 2025, the Community College of Rhode Island's Lincoln campus was locked down after 48-year-old Junior Sage entered the campus carrying an airsoft-style pistol and two pocket knives. A 911 call at approximately 12:30 PM EST had reported Sage (a 48-year-old from Woonsocket) threatening someone with a knife on a RIPTA Route 54 bus headed to the Lincoln (Flanagan) campus. In a significant communication failure, dispatch activated the ALERTUS lockdown button, and CCRI's initial lockdown alert was mistakenly sent to the Warwick campus at 12:46 PM instead of Lincoln, causing panic at the wrong location. The after-action review found dispatchers 'appeared uncertain and under stress, relaying fragmented and incomplete information.' A corrected alert followed two minutes later. WPRI reported that Sage was arrested without incident around 1:15 PM and charged with eight offenses including possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. An after-action report later published found 'significant confusion' and a 'breakdown in communication' during the response. The Valley Breeze and GoLocalProv provided additional local coverage. A CCRI safety report subsequently revealed broader gaps in emergency response procedures.
Analysis

Key Findings

The initial lockdown alert was sent to the wrong campus (Warwick instead of Lincoln), a critical communication failure documented in the after-action report
The correction came just 2 minutes later, but the damage was done — students at both campuses experienced confusion about which location was actually at risk
The after-action report finding of 'significant confusion' and 'breakdown in communication' led to procedural reforms at CCRI
Outcome
Junior Sage was arrested and charged with possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, carrying a pistol without a license, three counts of felony assault, disorderly conduct, and obstruction. An after-action report revealed significant communication breakdowns.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    CCRI Lincoln lifts lockdown after police declare campus safe (Rhode Island Current)
    rhodeislandcurrent.com
  2. News
    Shelter in place ordered at CCRI's Lincoln campus (WPRI)
    wpri.com
  3. News
    CCRI lockdown: Armed suspect arrested at Lincoln campus (Boston Globe)
    bostonglobe.com
  4. News
    CCRI campus police miscommunication (Boston Globe after-action)
    bostonglobe.com
  5. News
    CCRI safety report reveals gaps in emergency response (WPRI)
    wpri.com
  6. News
    Armed suspect arrested at Lincoln CCRI campus (Valley Breeze)
    valleybreeze.com
  7. Social
    ALERT – LINCOLN CAMPUS: Shelter in Place (CCRI official Facebook)
    facebook.com
Tags
armed-personcommunity-collegewrong-campus-alertcommunication-failurerhode-islandafter-action-reportairsoft-pistolripta-bus
Added April 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion