Campus Alert Archive
ISU

A 4:36 PM Alert About a Woman With a Rifle in the Owen-Redfield Complex: Pocatello PD Found Nothing

IDarmed personemergency 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.

On the afternoon of October 5, 2022, Idaho State University in Pocatello issued an ISU Alert at 4:36 PM MDT after a witness reported seeing a woman carrying what appeared to be a rifle and ammunition near the Owen-Redfield Complex, adjacent to the Rendezvous Complex on campus. The Pocatello Police Department responded, interviewed the witness, and found no evidence to substantiate the report. ISU sent a follow-up alert lifting the order after the investigation concluded.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
Idaho State University
Public R2 · ID
~12,500 studentsISU Alert
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 ALERTSMS
Approximate reconstruction137 chars
ISU ALERT: Police are responding to a report of a woman with a firearm near the Owen-Redfield Complex. Avoid the area. Updates to follow.

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

Sent at 4:36 PM MDT on October 5, 2022 — peak afternoon class-change time on the Pocatello campus
The Owen-Redfield Complex is on Idaho State University's main Pocatello campus and houses graduate programs and student services
ISU Alert is administered through Rave Mobile Safety and pushes SMS, email, voice, and digital signage simultaneously
ALL CLEARSMS
Verified verbatimEast Idaho News quoting the verbatim ISU Alert follow-up message after Pocatello Police completed their investigation102 chars
Law enforcement has concluded their investigation and confirmed that there is no threat to the campus.
Verbatim sentence quoted by East Idaho News from the ISU Alert follow-up message; the news outlet attributed the language directly to the alert ('a follow up alert stating that...')
Issued approximately 90 minutes after the initial alert
Pocatello Police interviewed the witness and conducted a search of the Owen-Redfield Complex without locating a person with a rifle
The institution chose not to characterize the report publicly as a misidentification or hoax — leaving the resolution as 'unfounded'
Context

Background

Idaho State University is the state's R2 doctoral institution serving approximately 12,500 students in Pocatello, located in southeastern Idaho. ISU operates an ISU Alert emergency notification system administered through Rave Mobile Safety. On the afternoon of October 5, 2022, a witness reported seeing a woman carrying what appeared to be a rifle and ammunition near the Owen-Redfield Complex, adjacent to the Rendezvous Complex on the main Pocatello campus. ISU issued an ISU Alert at 4:36 PM MDT directing community members to avoid the area. The Pocatello Police Department responded, interviewed the witness, and conducted a thorough search but found no evidence to substantiate the report. ISU sent a follow-up alert lifting the order after the investigation concluded. The case is significant for the campus alert archive because it documents an unfounded armed-person report at a Mountain West public university — a category often underreported in the literature compared to active-shooter or swatting incidents — and it preserves the timestamp (4:36 PM MDT) of the initial alert. The 90-minute resolution cycle is roughly typical for armed-person reports that turn out unfounded.
Analysis

Key Findings

The initial ISU Alert was sent at 4:36 PM MDT — peak afternoon class-change time on the Pocatello campus
Pocatello Police interviewed the witness directly before declaring the report unfounded — not a typical resolution path for swatting calls
Total response cycle from initial alert to all-clear was approximately 90 minutes
ISU did not characterize the report as a misidentification or hoax, leaving the resolution as 'unfounded' in the archive
The Owen-Redfield Complex location places the report on the academic core of the Pocatello campus rather than its periphery
Outcome
Pocatello Police interviewed the witness and conducted an extensive search of the Owen-Redfield Complex and surrounding areas but found no evidence of a person with a rifle. Police determined the report was unfounded. ISU sent a follow-up alert and normal operations resumed in the affected area. No arrests were made and no charges were filed.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Pocatello police find no evidence of threat after report of woman with gun on ISU campus - Idaho State Journal
    idahostatejournal.com
  2. News
    Police determine no threat after report of woman with a gun at ISU - East Idaho News
    eastidahonews.com
  3. Official
    ISU Alerts - Idaho State University
    isu.edu
  4. Official
    Active Shooter on Campus - Idaho State University
    isu.edu
Tags
armed-personidahoisupocatelloowen-redfield-complexunfoundedwitness-misidentificationmountain-westrendezvous-complexUnfounded
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion