Campus Alert Archive
UC Berkeley

Nine Shots Into the Friday Night Sky: Unaffiliated Man Opens Fire at Lower Sproul Dance Practice

CAshootingemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

On the evening of February 9, 2024, a 59-year-old man fired nine shots into the air at Lower Sproul Plaza during a student dance practice, shattering a window in Eshleman Hall. The suspect was detained within roughly two minutes by officers already en route, but the first WarnMe alert did not arrive for 40 minutes, sparking widespread criticism of the campus notification system.

Alerts
2
Response
40 min
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
University of California, Berkeley
Public R1 · CA
~45,000 studentsWarnMe
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 ALERTEmail
Verified verbatimDaily Californian (quoted verbatim)117 chars
An aggravated assault occurred at Lower Sproul Plaza. There is police activity in Lower Sproul Plaza. Avoid the area.
The first WarnMe email arrived at 9:20 PM PST on February 9, 2024, approximately 40 minutes after the shots were fired at 8:40 PM
The alert characterized a shooting as merely an 'aggravated assault' and never mentioned a firearm, shots fired, or a shelter-in-place order
Students criticized the delay and vagueness as dangerous, noting that without clear official communication, rumors of multiple active shooters circulated on social media
ALL CLEAREmail+31 min
Approximate reconstructionReconstructed from Daily Californian timeline (exact wording not published)172 chars
WarnMe UPDATE: The shelter-in-place for Lower Sproul Plaza has been lifted. One suspect has been arrested. There are no additional suspects. No injuries have been reported.

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

Reconstructed from Daily Californian and Berkeley News coverage; exact wording not published
The shelter-in-place was lifted at 9:51 PM PST on February 9, 2024, more than an hour after the gunman was arrested — despite the single prior WarnMe message never having mentioned a shelter-in-place order
Despite the all-clear, UCPD's dispatch center was overwhelmed with 911 calls throughout the incident
Context

Background

On the evening of February 9, 2024, a 59-year-old man unaffiliated with UC Berkeley arrived on a motorcycle at an AFX Dance practice in a tent at Lower Sproul Plaza. He demanded that students turn down the music and give him a phone charger. When they refused, he produced a handgun and fired multiple shots into the air at approximately 8:40 PM PST. A bullet shattered a window in nearby Eshleman Hall. Officers already responding to the altercation detained the suspect within roughly two minutes of the gunfire and recovered his firearm at the scene. Students witnessed police handcuffing an individual at the Bancroft Way entrance to Lower Sproul around 8:50 PM. Thousands of patrons attending a Renée Fleming performance at nearby Zellerbach Hall were also required to shelter in place during the response. However, the first WarnMe email did not arrive until 9:20 PM, 40 minutes after the shooting, describing the incident as an aggravated assault. In the absence of official information, rumors of multiple active shooters spread on social media, creating additional panic. The suspect, later identified as Virgil Hampton, 59, was arraigned on February 27 on charges including discharging a firearm with gross negligence, having a loaded firearm on campus, and carrying a loaded firearm in a vehicle.
Analysis

Key Findings

Police detained the suspect within roughly two minutes of shots being fired, but the first WarnMe alert did not reach students for 40 minutes
The communication delay allowed rumors of multiple active shooters to circulate on social media, amplifying student panic
The suspect was unaffiliated with the university and had approached a student dance practice demanding a phone charger before opening fire
Outcome
The suspect, later identified as 59-year-old Virgil Hampton, was arrested and placed on a psychiatric hold. The Alameda County District Attorney charged him with discharging a firearm with gross negligence, having a loaded firearm on a college campus, and carrying a loaded firearm in a vehicle. No injuries were reported. The shelter-in-place was lifted at 9:51 PM PST.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Student Paper
    From shots fired to all clear: A timeline of the shooting at Lower Sproul Plaza (Daily Californian)
    dailycal.org
  2. News
    UC Berkeley shooting: 1 arrested, none hurt in Lower Sproul Plaza (Berkeleyside)
    berkeleyside.org
  3. Official
    Police: Campus incident ends with one arrest, no injuries (Berkeley News)
    news.berkeley.edu
  4. News
    Panic on the campus: New details on UC Berkeley shooting (Berkeley Scanner)
    berkeleyscanner.com
Tags
shootingcalifornianotification-delaynon-affiliateddance-practicelower-sproulpsychiatric-hold
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion