Campus Alert Archive
Texas Wesleyan

Suspicious Woman Near Carter Building Triggers 88-Minute Shelter-in-Place at Fort Worth Campus

TXarmed personemergency notificationhigh 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 Tuesday, October 15, 2024, Texas Wesleyan University issued an emergency alert to shelter in place at 2:21 p.m. after a report of a suspicious person, possibly armed, near the Nenetta Burton Carter Building. Fort Worth Police investigated and apprehended the individual. The shelter-in-place was lifted at 3:49 p.m. after officers determined no firearm was involved in the situation.

Alerts
3
Response
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Killed
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Injured
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Institution
Texas Wesleyan University
Private Liberal Arts · TX
Texas Wesleyan Emergency Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

3 messages in sequence · 3 verified verbatim

INITIAL ALERTTwitter/X
Verified verbatimTexas Wesleyan University official Instagram (@texaswesleyan) timestamped update log176 chars
A shelter-in-place alert has been activated for our campus. Seek shelter indoors and stay inside. Lock all exterior doors. More info will be posted when available on txwes.edu.
Emergency Alert was sent to the campus community at 2:21 p.m. CST; the official social-media post relaying the shelter-in-place message is timestamped 2:27 p.m. CST
The Nenetta Burton Carter Building is located on the corner of Binkley Street and Avenue D at Texas Wesleyan's Fort Worth campus
Initial suspect description reported was a white woman with a partially shaved head wearing camouflage pants
UPDATETwitter/X+1h 3m
Verified verbatimTexas Wesleyan University official Instagram (@texaswesleyan) timestamped update log153 chars
A shelter-in-place is still in place. Please continue to stay indoors and keep doors locked. More info will be available once we are given the all clear.
Posted at 3:30 p.m. CST on October 15, 2024 while Fort Worth Police were still investigating the suspicious-person report
ALL CLEARTwitter/X+1h 22m
Verified verbatimTexas Wesleyan University official Instagram (@texaswesleyan) timestamped update log612 chars
At 2:21 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, an Emergency Alert was sent out to the Texas Wesleyan University community as a precautionary measure to shelter in place after the security team received a report of a suspicious individual, potentially with a gun, near the Nenetta Burton Carter Building, located on the corner of Binkley St. and Avenue D. The shelter in place was lifted at 3:49 p.m. and the all-clear was given by the Fort Worth Police Department after apprehension of the suspect. Please direct any questions about the incident to the Fort Worth Police Department as this is an on-going investigation.
All-clear posted at 3:49 p.m. CST on October 15, 2024 -- 88 minutes after the shelter-in-place was ordered
Fort Worth Police apprehended the suspect, who was determined not to have been armed; investigators concluded no firearm was involved
Context

Background

Texas Wesleyan University is a private United Methodist institution with approximately 3,000 students in Fort Worth, Texas. On the afternoon of October 15, 2024, a 911 call reported a suspicious individual, possibly armed, near the Nenetta Burton Carter Building at the corner of Binkley Street and Avenue D -- in a mixed commercial and residential neighborhood on the edge of the Fort Worth campus. The university issued a shelter-in-place emergency alert at 2:21 p.m. CST, directing all persons on campus to lock their doors, avoid windows, and await further instructions. Fort Worth Police responded and located and apprehended the suspect. Investigation revealed the individual was not carrying a firearm and posed no actual threat; the shelter-in-place was lifted at 3:49 p.m. The incident represents a common pattern at urban campuses: suspicious person reports at campus perimeters prompting precautionary lockdowns that prove unfounded. Texas Wesleyan had previously experienced a swatting incident during April 2023 as part of a wave of false active-shooter calls across Texas.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Shelter in place lifted at Texas Wesleyan after false report of armed person -- CBS Texas
    cbsnews.com
  2. Official
    All Clear Issued -- Texas Wesleyan University
    txwes.edu
  3. Social
    Texas Wesleyan University official Instagram timestamped update log (@texaswesleyan)
    instagram.com
  4. News
    Shelter-in-place lifted at Texas Wesleyan after suspicious individual report -- WFAA
    wfaa.com
Tags
armed-personshelter-in-placetexasprivate-liberal-artsmethodistfort-worthunfoundedno-injuriesUnfounded
Added May 2026Updated June 2026Via ingestion