Campus Alert Archive
TAMUCC

FBI-Confirmed Terrorism Attack at Adjacent Naval Air Station Forces Hispanic-Serving Island University to Issue Code Blue During COVID-Era Semester

TXshelter in placeadvisorymedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

On May 21, 2020, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi issued a Code Blue emergency alert after a terrorism-related shooting at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi just across the bay. The gunman, identified by the FBI as 20-year-old Adam Salim Alsahli, fired on a security guard at approximately 6:15 AM CDT before being shot and killed by naval security forces. TAMUCC instructed the campus community to avoid campus and the surrounding area while the base remained on lockdown; the campus was cleared to reopen at 9 AM.

Alerts
2
Response
1 min
Killed
0
Injured
1
Institution
Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi
Public Masters · TX
~12,000 studentsCode Blue Emergency Notification 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 ALERTSMS
Verified verbatimTAMUCC official Facebook post reproducing the Code Blue alert text236 chars
TAMUCC CODE BLUE: NAS-Corpus Christi is on lock down after a report of an active shooter. Please avoid campus and the surrounding area. If you are on campus, remain indoors and away from windows until notified that the threat has ended.
The alert text was reproduced verbatim on TAMUCC's official Facebook page and confirmed by KRISTV reporting on the incident
The shooting began at approximately 6:15 AM CDT when Adam Salim Alsahli approached the North Gate of NAS-CC in a vehicle and opened fire on security personnel
Navy Master-at-Arms Petty Officer Second Class Yaisa Coburn was struck in her ballistic vest and survived; she had activated the Final Denial Barrier (FDB) to stop the vehicle
TAMUCC is an island university separated from NAS-CC by Corpus Christi Bay; the Code Blue was precautionary given the nearby active shooter situation
ALL CLEARSMS
Approximate reconstruction145 chars
TAMUCC CODE BLUE UPDATE: The NAS-CC situation has been contained. A&M-CC will reopen at 9 a.m. Continue to monitor official channels for updates.

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

Reconstructed from KRISTV's headline 'A&M-CC will reopen at 9 a.m. following NAS-CC lockdown'; exact all-clear message text not confirmed
TAMUCC was operating on a reduced COVID-19 semester schedule when the alert was issued; many students were attending classes remotely
The FBI identified the shooter as a Syrian-American from El Cajon, California, with alleged ties to extremist groups
Context

Background

Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi is a federally designated Hispanic-Serving Institution on Ward Island in Corpus Christi Bay, separated from the Naval Air Station by a short stretch of water. On May 21, 2020, the base came under a terrorism-related attack when 20-year-old Adam Salim Alsahli drove to the NAS-CC North Gate and opened fire on Navy security personnel. Navy MA2 Yaisa Coburn was struck in her protective vest but survived after activating the base's Final Denial Barrier; responding security forces shot and killed Alsahli. The FBI classified the attack as terrorism-related based on Alsahli's alleged support for extremist groups including Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. TAMUCC issued an immediate Code Blue alert -- its most severe emergency designation -- instructing the campus community to avoid campus and the surrounding area. The campus was cleared to reopen by 9 AM, approximately two and a half hours after the attack. The incident is notable as one of the rare cases where a terrorism attack at a military installation directly triggered a campus emergency notification at an adjacent civilian university. TAMUCC's Code Blue system sends coordinated text, email, and phone call alerts to the campus community.
Analysis

Key Findings

The TAMUCC Code Blue alert text is confirmed verbatim from the university's official Facebook post, making this one of the few confirmed-verbatim alerts from an HSI in the archive
The attack was the first terrorism-related incident at a U.S. military installation in 2020, with the FBI confirming Alsahli's alleged ties to extremist groups
TAMUCC's geographic proximity to NAS-CC (separated by Corpus Christi Bay) meant a military terrorism event directly triggered a civilian campus lockdown
The May 2020 alert was issued during the COVID-19 pandemic semester, when most students were attending classes remotely, limiting on-campus exposure
Outcome
One Navy security guard (MA2 Yaisa Coburn) shot in the ballistic vest, minor injury. Gunman Adam Salim Alsahli shot and killed by naval security forces. NAS-CC lockdown lifted before noon. TAMUCC campus cleared to reopen at 9 AM. FBI confirmed the attack as terrorism-related.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Social
    TAMUCC official Facebook post with Code Blue alert text
    facebook.com
  2. News
    A&M-CC will reopen at 9 a.m. following NAS-CC lockdown - KRISTV
    kristv.com
  3. News
    Naval Air Station Corpus Christi shooting terrorism-related, FBI says - Military.com
    military.com
  4. News
    Security forces member at NAS Corpus Christi injured during active shooter situation - Navy Times
    navytimes.com
Tags
terrorismmilitary-installationshelter-in-placehsitexascode-bluenaval-air-stationcovid-eraadjacent-incidentconfirmed-verbatim
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion