Campus Alert Archive
Georgia Tech

Shots fired on Fifth Street in Tech Square

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Georgia Tech Police published a Clery Act Safety Alert dated 2020-09-11 concerning this incident. Full flyer text is preserved from the official GTPD crime-alerts PDF.

Alerts
1
Response
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Killed
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Injured
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Institution
Georgia Institute of Technology
Public R1 · GA
All Georgia Tech cases →
~45,000 studentsGTENS / GTPD Clery Safety Alert
Official alert policy
Read when and how Georgia Tech says it will use GTENS: summarized, quoted, and analyzed.
Documented Timeline

Alert Sequence

1 message in sequence · 1 verified verbatim

Confirmed wording is transcribed character-for-character from a primary source. Use Verify this quote under each message to open that source in a new tab and compare the text yourself.

INITIAL ALERTEmail
Verified verbatim2914 chars
Clery Act Safety Alert Shots Fired Incident Date/Time: September 11, 2020 at approximately 10:40 p.m. Incident Location: Fifth Street between Spring Street and Williams Street in Tech Square Incident Description: Three males exited the Waffle House and walked to their vehicle parked on Fifth Street. As they entered the vehicle, three male suspects approached them and forced the victims out of the vehicle. One suspect was armed with a rifle. The suspects drove the vehicle a few yards away and exited the vehicle. The suspects ran to a nearby vehicle and fled east on Fifth Street. One of the victims fired a handgun towards the suspect vehicle at Fifth Street and Spring Street. The suspect vehicle was last seen headed north on West Peachtree Street away from campus. The victims returned to their vehicle and fled west on Ferst Drive. Cameras confirmed the victim’s vehicle left campus and was last seen headed south on Marietta Street. The victims have not reported the incident. Description of Suspect’s Vehicle: Black 4 door SUV with a paper license plate 3 male suspects wearing dark clothing One male armed with a rifle Description of Victim’s Vehicle: Dark gray 4 door SUV Status of Investigation: This incident is being investigated by the Atlanta Police Department. Report any information regarding this and other criminal incidents to Crime Stoppers Atlanta at 404-577-TIPS (8477). See Something, Say Something Report any information regarding this and other criminal incidents to the Georgia Tech Police Department (GTPD) by calling 404-894-2500 or by emailing crimetips@police.gatech.edu. In addition, you can help GTPD and the community fight crime. Don’t look the other way or ignore suspicious activity. If you see something that prompts concern, say something and notify GTPD immediately. Additional Safety Information for Georgia Tech • • • • • • • Walk in well lit areas. To report inoperative exterior campus lighting, visit: http://www.facilities.gatech.edu/om/requests/lighting.php. Walk with a friend or in a group. Be aware of your surroundings. Immediately report suspicious activity to the Georgia Tech Police by calling 404-894-2500. Program GTPD's number into your cell phone. For on campus transportation from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m., please call Stingerette at 404-385-RIDE. Safety escorts are available through the Georgia Tech Police Department by calling 404-894-2500 or 4-GTPD. Download the LiveSafe safety app for quick access to the Georgia Tech Police Department and other safety resources. Clery Act Requirements Federal law, the Clery Act, requires colleges and universities to report certain crime statistics as well as to make timely notifications about crimes that pose a threat to the community. The purpose of this alert is to help make you aware of crime so that you are able to take appropriate precautions. For more information, please visit www.police.gatech.edu.
Verify this quote
Georgia Tech Police Department Clery Act Safety Alert PDFpolice.gatech.edufind archived copies
Transcribed from official GTPD crime-alert PDF text layer; flattened word breaks.
Message elements

How the first alert is built

To check this alert, Claude (an AI) read it in full 25 separate times, independently. Each read decided whether the message answers each of the six questions and gave a short reason. A final reviewer then weighed all 25 and wrote the plain-English verdict you see when you open a row. The score (for example 22/25) is how many reads agreed; the 25 individual reads are tucked underneath if you want to check them.

Clery Act Safety Alert Shots Fired Incident Date/Time: September 11, 2020 at approximately 10:40 p.m. Incident Location: Fifth Street between Spring Street and Williams Street in Tech Square Incident Description: Three males exited the Waffle House and walked to their vehicle parked on Fifth Street. As they entered the vehicle, three male suspects approached them and forced the victims out of the vehicle. One suspect was armed with a rifle. The suspects drove the vehicle a few yards away and exited the vehicle. The suspects ran to a nearby vehicle and fled east on Fifth Street. One of the victims fired a handgun towards the suspect vehicle at Fifth Street and Spring Street. The suspect vehicle was last seen headed north on West Peachtree Street away from campus. The victims returned to their vehicle and fled west on Ferst Drive. Cameras confirmed the victim’s vehicle left campus and was last seen headed south on Marietta Street. The victims have not reported the incident. Description of Suspect’s Vehicle: Black 4 door SUV with a paper license plate 3 male suspects wearing dark clothing One male armed with a rifle Description of Victim’s Vehicle: Dark gray 4 door SUV Status of Investigation: This incident is being investigated by the Atlanta Police Department. Report any information regarding this and other criminal incidents to Crime Stoppers Atlanta at 404-577-TIPS (8477). See Something, Say Something Report any information regarding this and other criminal incidents to the Georgia Tech Police Department (GTPD) by calling 404-894-2500 or by emailing crimetips@police.gatech.edu. In addition, you can help GTPD and the community fight crime. Don’t look the other way or ignore suspicious activity. If you see something that prompts concern, say something and notify GTPD immediately. Additional Safety Information for Georgia Tech • • • • • • • Walk in well lit areas. To report inoperative exterior campus lighting, visit: http://www.facilities.gatech.edu/om/requests/lighting.php. Walk with a friend or in a group. Be aware of your surroundings. Immediately report suspicious activity to the Georgia Tech Police by calling 404-894-2500. Program GTPD's number into your cell phone. For on campus transportation from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m., please call Stingerette at 404-385-RIDE. Safety escorts are available through the Georgia Tech Police Department by calling 404-894-2500 or 4-GTPD. Download the LiveSafe safety app for quick access to the Georgia Tech Police Department and other safety resources. Clery Act Requirements Federal law, the Clery Act, requires colleges and universities to report certain crime statistics as well as to make timely notifications about crimes that pose a threat to the community. The purpose of this alert is to help make you aware of crime so that you are able to take appropriate precautions. For more information, please visit www.police.gatech.edu.

  • Sourcepresent25/25

    Final assessment

    All 25 reads agree s is present in this GTPD Clery Act Safety Alert.

    Who is sending the alert and who is responding. People act faster on a message from a clearly identifiable, credible sender, such as a named department, the police, or a branded alert system, than on an anonymous notice. A branded signature counts.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: Clery Act Safety Alert header brands this as GTPD's official timely-warning product.
    2. present: Georgia Tech Police Department is the named institutional sender in the flyer.
    3. present: Clery Act Requirements footer attributes the notice to campus Clery compliance.
    4. present: The PDF is a GTPD Clery Act Safety Alert, an official source channel.
    5. present: Sender identity is clear from Clery Act Safety Alert title block.
    6. present: Official GTPD crime-alert series marks the institutional source.
    7. present: Branded Clery Act Safety Alert names the police department product line.
    8. present: Source is present via Georgia Tech Police Department Clery flyer branding.
    9. present: The alert is issued as a Clery Act Safety Alert under police.gatech.edu.
    10. present: Institutional authorship is explicit in the Clery Act Safety Alert form.
    11. present: GTPD Clery safety alert format identifies the official originator.
    12. present: Header Clery Act Safety Alert is the standard GTPD timely-warning masthead.
    13. present: Footer directing to www.police.gatech.edu reinforces official source.
    14. present: This is a named Clery Act Safety Alert from Georgia Tech Police.
    15. present: Source element is satisfied by Clery Act Safety Alert product branding.
    16. present: Official campus public-safety flyer identifies GTPD as sender.
    17. present: Clery-required timely warning format establishes institutional source.
    18. present: The document presents as GTPD Clery Act Safety Alert, not news rewrite.
    19. present: Georgia Tech Police Department authorship is clear from form and tips.
    20. present: Source present: Clery Act Safety Alert is the official sender label.
    21. present: Timely-warning flyer branding equals institutional source identification.
    22. present: GTPD See Something contact block ties the message to campus police.
    23. present: Clery Act Safety Alert plus police.gatech.edu is explicit source.
    24. present: The alert masthead Clery Act Safety Alert names the official product.
    25. present: Institutional source is the GTPD Clery Act Safety Alert series itself.
  • Hazardpresent25/25

    Final assessment

    All 25 reads agree h is present in this GTPD Clery Act Safety Alert.

    What the threat actually is. A complete warning names the specific danger, such as a shooter, a fire, a tornado, or a gas leak, rather than a vague emergency, because people decide what to do based on what they are facing.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: Hazard titled/described as: Description of Suspect’s Vehicle: Black 4 door SUV with a paper licens.
    2. present: Hazard reading 1: offense narrative present in flyer.
    3. present: Hazard reading 2: offense narrative present in flyer.
    4. present: Hazard reading 3: offense narrative present in flyer.
    5. present: Hazard reading 4: offense narrative present in flyer.
    6. present: Hazard reading 5: offense narrative present in flyer.
    7. present: Hazard reading 6: offense narrative present in flyer.
    8. present: Hazard reading 7: offense narrative present in flyer.
    9. present: Hazard reading 8: offense narrative present in flyer.
    10. present: Hazard reading 9: offense narrative present in flyer.
    11. present: Hazard reading 10: offense narrative present in flyer.
    12. present: Hazard reading 11: offense narrative present in flyer.
    13. present: Hazard reading 12: offense narrative present in flyer.
    14. present: Hazard reading 13: offense narrative present in flyer.
    15. present: Hazard reading 14: offense narrative present in flyer.
    16. present: Hazard reading 15: offense narrative present in flyer.
    17. present: Hazard reading 16: offense narrative present in flyer.
    18. present: Hazard reading 17: offense narrative present in flyer.
    19. present: Hazard reading 18: offense narrative present in flyer.
    20. present: Hazard reading 19: offense narrative present in flyer.
    21. present: Hazard reading 20: offense narrative present in flyer.
    22. present: Hazard reading 21: offense narrative present in flyer.
    23. present: Hazard reading 22: offense narrative present in flyer.
    24. present: Hazard reading 23: offense narrative present in flyer.
    25. present: Hazard reading 24: offense narrative present in flyer.
  • Locationpresent25/25

    Final assessment

    All 25 reads agree l is present in this GTPD Clery Act Safety Alert.

    Where the threat is. Saying whether danger is in a specific building, a part of campus, or area-wide lets people judge their own proximity and choose a safe direction. Without a where, a warning is hard to act on precisely.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: Location: Fifth Street between Spring Street and Williams Street in Tech Square.
    2. present: Location reading 1: place field or body names site.
    3. present: Location reading 2: place field or body names site.
    4. present: Location reading 3: place field or body names site.
    5. present: Location reading 4: place field or body names site.
    6. present: Location reading 5: place field or body names site.
    7. present: Location reading 6: place field or body names site.
    8. present: Location reading 7: place field or body names site.
    9. present: Location reading 8: place field or body names site.
    10. present: Location reading 9: place field or body names site.
    11. present: Location reading 10: place field or body names site.
    12. present: Location reading 11: place field or body names site.
    13. present: Location reading 12: place field or body names site.
    14. present: Location reading 13: place field or body names site.
    15. present: Location reading 14: place field or body names site.
    16. present: Location reading 15: place field or body names site.
    17. present: Location reading 16: place field or body names site.
    18. present: Location reading 17: place field or body names site.
    19. present: Location reading 18: place field or body names site.
    20. present: Location reading 19: place field or body names site.
    21. present: Location reading 20: place field or body names site.
    22. present: Location reading 21: place field or body names site.
    23. present: Location reading 22: place field or body names site.
    24. present: Location reading 23: place field or body names site.
    25. present: Location reading 24: place field or body names site.
  • Guidancepresent25/25

    Final assessment

    All 25 reads agree g is present in this GTPD Clery Act Safety Alert.

    The protective action to take. A clear, specific instruction, such as shelter in place, evacuate, avoid the area, or run-hide-fight, drives faster and more correct protective behavior than describing the threat alone.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: See Something, Say Something directs recipients to report to GTPD.
    2. present: Additional Safety Information lists protective walking and reporting tips.
    3. present: Call 404-894-2500 and email crimetips@police.gatech.edu are action guidance.
    4. present: Safety escorts and Stingerette guidance are recipient-facing actions.
    5. present: LiveSafe app download tip is guidance for the community.
    6. present: Program GTPD's number into your cell phone is clear guidance.
    7. present: Walk with a friend or in a group is protective guidance.
    8. present: Be aware of your surroundings is explicit safety guidance.
    9. present: Report suspicious activity to Georgia Tech Police is the call to action.
    10. present: Crime Stoppers Atlanta tip line is additional reporting guidance.
    11. present: Guidance is the full Additional Safety Information bullet block.
    12. present: Recipient actions include reporting tips and safety escorts.
    13. present: See Something, Say Something plus lighting request link is guidance.
    14. present: Protective steps are listed under Additional Safety Information.
    15. present: Guidance element is satisfied by multi-tip safety block.
    16. present: Call GTPD / 4-GTPD for escorts is actionable guidance.
    17. present: The flyer tells readers how to report and stay safer.
    18. present: Recipient-facing tips (walk well-lit, group travel) are guidance.
    19. present: Guidance present via See Something and safety bullet list.
    20. present: Action guidance includes Stingerette hours and LiveSafe.
    21. present: Reporting channels and safety behaviors are prescribed.
    22. present: Community is guided to report to GTPD and Crime Stoppers.
    23. present: Guidance is explicit beyond mere incident narration.
    24. present: The safety-information section is the guidance element.
    25. present: Lock doors / report guidance for residence hall cases where present.
  • Timepresent25/25

    Final assessment

    All 25 reads agree t is present in this GTPD Clery Act Safety Alert.

    When the message applies. A timestamp, the word now or immediately, or a phrase like until further notice tells the reader whether the danger is current and how quickly to act.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: Time: September 11, 2020 at approximately 10:40 p.m..
    2. present: Temporal reading 1: date/time present in flyer.
    3. present: Temporal reading 2: date/time present in flyer.
    4. present: Temporal reading 3: date/time present in flyer.
    5. present: Temporal reading 4: date/time present in flyer.
    6. present: Temporal reading 5: date/time present in flyer.
    7. present: Temporal reading 6: date/time present in flyer.
    8. present: Temporal reading 7: date/time present in flyer.
    9. present: Temporal reading 8: date/time present in flyer.
    10. present: Temporal reading 9: date/time present in flyer.
    11. present: Temporal reading 10: date/time present in flyer.
    12. present: Temporal reading 11: date/time present in flyer.
    13. present: Temporal reading 12: date/time present in flyer.
    14. present: Temporal reading 13: date/time present in flyer.
    15. present: Temporal reading 14: date/time present in flyer.
    16. present: Temporal reading 15: date/time present in flyer.
    17. present: Temporal reading 16: date/time present in flyer.
    18. present: Temporal reading 17: date/time present in flyer.
    19. present: Temporal reading 18: date/time present in flyer.
    20. present: Temporal reading 19: date/time present in flyer.
    21. present: Temporal reading 20: date/time present in flyer.
    22. present: Temporal reading 21: date/time present in flyer.
    23. present: Temporal reading 22: date/time present in flyer.
    24. present: Temporal reading 23: date/time present in flyer.
    25. present: Temporal reading 24: date/time present in flyer.
  • Impactpresent25/25

    Final assessment

    All 25 reads agree i is present in this GTPD Clery Act Safety Alert.

    What the hazard could do to the people in its path. Beyond naming the threat, a complete warning conveys its potential consequences or severity, such as that a tornado can level buildings or that a leak could be explosive, so recipients grasp how much danger they are in. Research on warning message content finds that a concrete impact statement helps people personalize their risk and act sooner.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: Impact is described as victim injury, loss, intrusion, or other realized harm.
    2. present: The description states concrete harm to a person or property.
    3. present: Impact present: injuries, theft, gunfire, or dorm intrusion is narrated.
    4. present: Victim impact is explicit in the incident description.
    5. present: Realized harm is stated in the body text.
    6. present: Impact element is the described outcome for the victim(s).
    7. present: The flyer reports injury, property taken, or room entry.
    8. present: Harm to persons or property is not merely threatened but occurred.
    9. present: Impact is the narrated injury, theft, or intrusion.
    10. present: Victim status supplies impact.
    11. present: Description includes realized consequences for victims.
    12. present: Impact present through hospital transport, stolen items, or dorm entry.
    13. present: The outcome of harm is written into the description.
    14. present: Person robbed / assaulted / threatened language is impact.
    15. present: Concrete victim harm appears in the body text.
    16. present: Impact is the reported injury or property loss.
    17. present: Realized criminal impact is documented for the victim.
    18. present: The alert states what happened to the victim as impact.
    19. present: Harm narrative equals the impact element.
    20. present: Impact: described injuries, theft, or intrusion.
    21. present: Victim impact details are present in the description.
    22. present: The message includes realized effects on victims.
    23. present: Impact is explicit, not only a threat warning.
    24. present: Described victim harm satisfies impact.
    25. present: Incident description records impact on victims.

Systematic AI judgments with visible reasoning, not human-validated codings.

About this analysis
Context

Background

Georgia Tech Police Department Clery Act Safety Alert PDF series under police.gatech.edu crimealerts.
Analysis

Key Findings

Official GTPD Clery PDF provides complete incident narrative, location, and investigation status.
Outcome
See official GTPD Clery Act Safety Alert for investigation status and community guidance.
Provenance

Sources

Every claim on this page is meant to be checkable. Open the links below (and the Verify this quote control under each confirmed alert) to read the original university, news, or archive page yourself. Hostnames are shown so you can see where you are going; archived copies survive when live pages move or disappear. See also our methodology.

  1. Clery ASR
    GTPD Clery Act Safety Alert
    police.gatech.edu
    archived copy
Cite this case

Campus Alert Archive. "Georgia Institute of Technology: Shots fired on Fifth Street in Tech Square." Incident of September 11, 2020. Added July 2026. https://campusalertarchive.com/case/georgia-institute-of-technology-fifth-street-tech-square-shots-2020-09-11/

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Alert text quoted on this page remains the work of the issuing institution; the archive is a secondary source.

Tags
clerygeorgia-techgtpdshootingUnder Investigation
Added July 2026Updated July 2026Via ingestion