Campus Alert Archive
Texas A&M

Code Maroon: A Constable Killed Serving an Eviction Notice Near Texas A&M

TXactive shooteremergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

On August 13, 2012, Brazos County Constable Brian Bachmann was shot and killed while attempting to serve an eviction-related court notice at a house near the Texas A&M campus. The gunman, Thomas Caffall, 35, then engaged in a 30-minute shootout with responding officers, during which bystander Chris Northcliffe was also killed. Texas A&M issued a Code Maroon alert at 12:29 p.m. advising everyone to avoid the area and shelter in place.

Alerts
2
Response
15 min
Killed
2
Injured
4
Institution
Texas A&M University
Public R1 · TX
~78,300 studentsCode Maroon
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence

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 reconstruction176 chars
Code Maroon: Active shooter reported near campus on Fidelity Street. Avoid the area. If you are in that area, stay inside and lock doors. Follow updates at codemaroon.tamu.edu.

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

Code Maroon is Texas A&M's branded emergency notification system
Sent via text, email, and the Code Maroon website simultaneously
The alert correctly identified the location as near campus rather than on campus
The shooting had begun approximately 15 minutes before this alert was issued
UPDATESMS+15 min
Approximate reconstruction146 chars
Code Maroon Update: Shooter is in custody. Continue to avoid the Fidelity Street area. Police activity is ongoing. Updates at codemaroon.tamu.edu.

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

Issued 15 minutes after the initial alert
Described shooter as 'in custody' though Caffall had actually been killed by police
Continued to advise avoidance of the area due to ongoing police activity
Context

Background

The College Station shooting of August 13, 2012, tested Texas A&M's Code Maroon emergency notification system in a scenario that did not fit the typical campus shooting pattern. The violence originated from a domestic eviction situation at a private residence near campus, not from a student or employee. Thomas Caffall, 35, shot Constable Brian Bachmann when Bachmann arrived to serve a legal notice requiring Caffall to appear in court over $1,250 in unpaid rent. Caffall then fired at responding officers in a 30-minute gun battle. Bystander Chris Northcliffe was also killed. Texas A&M's Code Maroon alert went out at 12:29 p.m., approximately 15 minutes after the initial shooting. The incident raised questions about how campus alert systems should handle threats that originate off-campus but near enough to endanger students. Caffall's mother later told media that her son had a history of mental health issues. The incident occurred during the summer session, when campus population was lower than during the regular academic year.
Analysis

Key Findings

The threat originated from a domestic eviction situation, not from the campus community, challenging the assumption that campus shootings involve students or employees
Code Maroon correctly distinguished 'near campus' from 'on campus' in its alert language
The 15-minute response time from incident to first alert reflected improved but still imperfect notification speed
The second alert described the shooter as 'in custody' rather than killed, likely reflecting fog-of-war information gaps
Outcome
Two victims were killed: Brazos County Constable Brian Bachmann, 41, and civilian bystander Chris Northcliffe, 51. The gunman, Thomas Caffall, 35, was shot by police and died of his wounds (not counted among the victims). Three officers and another civilian, Barbara Holdsworth, were wounded and survived. Caffall was not a student or employee of Texas A&M.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Source
    2012 College Station shooting - Wikipedia
    en.wikipedia.org
  2. News
    3 killed in shootings near Texas A&M University - CNN
    cnn.com
  3. News
    Texas A&M Shooting: 3 Dead Including Cop and Gunman - ABC News
    abcnews.go.com
  4. News
    Mom: Texas shooter had mental health issues - CNN
    cnn.com
Tags
active-shooternear-campuslaw-enforcement-killednon-student-perpetratorcode-maroonoff-campus-origin2012
Added April 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion