Campus Alert Archive
TTU

The Crime Scene Was the Police Station: A 35-Minute Alert Delay When the Dispatch Center Became the Evidence

TXactive shooteremergency notificationhigh confidence
Confirmed Threat

Freshman Hollis Daniels, 19, shot and killed campus police officer Floyd East Jr. inside the Texas Tech Police Department building after being brought in on a drug-related welfare check. The campus alert was delayed approximately 35 minutes because the police station where alerts would normally be generated had become an active crime scene.

Alerts
3
Response
39 min
Killed
1
Injured
0
Institution
Texas Tech University
Public R1 · TX
~40,000 studentsTechAlert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

3 messages in sequence · 3 verified verbatim

INITIAL ALERTTwitter/X
Verified verbatimCBS News Texas reproducing the verbatim Texas Tech University social-media alert posted at approximately 8:23 PM CDT116 chars
A shooting has been reported at TTU Police Department. Shooter is at large. The campus is on lockdown. Take shelter.
Posted to Texas Tech's official Twitter account at approximately 8:23 PM, roughly 35-40 minutes after the shooting at 7:44 PM
The delay occurred because the police station where alerts would normally be initiated had become the crime scene itself
Identifies the shooter as 'at large,' reflecting that Daniels had fled the police building on foot
Same wording was simultaneously distributed via the official Texas Tech Facebook page; the post's URL slug preserves the message verbatim
INITIAL ALERTSMS
Verified verbatimWVLT News quoting the TTU TechAlert SMS verbatim183 chars
This is TTU. A shooting has been reported at the Texas Tech Police Department. At this time, the shooter is still at large. The campus is on lockdown. Take shelter in a safe location.
TechAlert SMS and phone notifications followed the Twitter post by 1-3 minutes
Adds 'Take shelter in a safe location' directive not present in the Twitter version
Uses 'At this time' qualifier, acknowledging the rapidly evolving situation
Preserves 'This is TTU.' opening — a distinctive identifier prefix the TechAlert SMS template used to authenticate the source on a single-segment message
ALL CLEARSMS
Verified verbatimKVUE News quoting the Texas Tech all-clear alert verbatim106 chars
ALL-CLEAR: The suspect has been apprehended. Lockdown lifted on campus. Avoid TTUPD, north side of campus.
Daniels was apprehended at City Bank Coliseum, found with the slain officer's body camera and a loaded .45-caliber pistol
Directs the community to avoid the TTU Police Department and the north side of campus, where the crime scene remained active
Lockdown lasted roughly one hour from alert to all-clear
Context

Background

On the evening of October 9, 2017, Texas Tech campus police officers conducted a welfare check at the dorm room of freshman Hollis Daniels, 19, and found a controlled substance. Officers took Daniels to the Texas Tech Police Department building for processing. During the booking process, Officer Floyd East Jr. was working at a computer with his back to Daniels, who was not handcuffed. When another officer briefly left the room, Daniels produced a concealed .45-caliber pistol and shot East in the head, killing him. Daniels then fled the building on foot. The alert delay of approximately 35 minutes was caused by an unusual circumstance: the police station itself had become the crime scene. The personnel and systems normally responsible for triggering the TechAlert notification were inside the building that was now being processed as evidence. Lubbock city police were called at 7:46 PM, but the first public alert did not go out until approximately 8:23 PM on Twitter, followed by SMS and phone alerts minutes later. Daniels was found at City Bank Coliseum carrying East's body camera and the loaded pistol. Upon arrest, he told officers, "I'm the one who shot your friend." He pleaded guilty to capital murder and was sentenced to life in prison without parole in February 2023. Officer Floyd East Jr. was 48 years old.
Analysis

Key Findings

The police station becoming the crime scene created an unprecedented alert-system bottleneck, as the dispatch center was unusable
Approximately 35-40 minute delay between shooting (7:44 PM) and first public alert (8:23 PM Twitter post)
Twitter notification preceded the TechAlert SMS by 1-3 minutes, suggesting social media was used as a faster initial channel
Daniels had been stopped by Lubbock police earlier that same day but was released when no weapon was found on his person
Outcome
Daniels fled on foot and was apprehended at City Bank Coliseum with the officer's body camera and a loaded .45-caliber pistol. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole in February 2023.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Reports: Shooter kills Texas Tech police officer - Texas Tribune
    texastribune.org
  2. News
    A Timeline of Events Surrounding the Murder of Floyd East, Jr. - KFYO
    kfyo.com
  3. News
    Seguin grad sentenced to life in prison for 2017 killing of Texas Tech police officer - KSAT
    ksat.com
  4. News
    UPDATE: Affidavit Reveals Student Admits to Texas Tech Shooting - Houston Public Media
    houstonpublicmedia.org
  5. Official
    Police Officer Floyd East, Jr. (Officer Down Memorial Page)
    odmp.org
Tags
active-shooterofficer-killedalert-delaycrime-scene-dispatchcampus-policelockdown2017
Added April 2026Updated June 2026Via ingestion