Campus Alert Archive
UCA

First Use of a Post-VT Alert System, and Two Students Were Already Dead

ARshootingemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

On the evening of October 26, 2008, a car drove into the parking lot between Arkansas Hall and the Snow Fine Arts Center at the University of Central Arkansas and occupants opened fire. Ryan Henderson, 18, and Chavares Block, 19, both UCA students, were killed. Martrevis Norman, 19, a non-student visitor, was shot in the leg. The victims were unintended bystanders, not the intended targets of the shooters.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
2
Injured
1
Institution
University of Central Arkansas
Public Masters · AR
~10,100 students
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 ALERTPhone
Approximate reconstruction307 chars
This is an emergency notification from the University of Central Arkansas. A shooting has occurred on campus near Arkansas Hall. All students, faculty, and staff are urged to stay inside and lock all doors. Do not go outside until further notice. If you have any information, contact UCA Police immediately.

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

This was the first use of UCA's new emergency email and phone call system, purchased after the Virginia Tech massacre
Faculty and students received automated calls and emails shortly after 9:30 p.m.
The system used phone calls and email rather than text messages
UPDATEEmail
Approximate reconstruction403 chars
UCA campus remains on lockdown following a shooting incident near Arkansas Hall and the Snow Fine Arts Center. Two students have been confirmed dead and one person has been injured. The suspects fled the scene in a vehicle. Campus police and Conway Police Department are actively investigating. All classes are cancelled for Monday, October 27. Continue to shelter in place until the all-clear is given.

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

Confirmed two student fatalities in this update
Classes were cancelled for the following day
The drive-by nature of the shooting meant the suspects had fled campus immediately
Context

Background

The University of Central Arkansas shooting was notable for being the first real-world activation of UCA's new emergency notification system, which had been purchased specifically in response to the Virginia Tech massacre. The system used automated phone calls and emails to reach students and faculty. The shooting itself was a drive-by incident in a residence hall parking lot. Four suspects were later arrested; investigators determined that the two students killed, Ryan Henderson and Chavares Block, were bystanders and not the intended targets. The incident underscored that campus violence was not limited to mass shootings by lone gunmen. It also tested whether the new generation of alert systems purchased post-VT could function under real emergency conditions. Conway, Arkansas, is a college town of about 60,000 people, and UCA had roughly 11,000 students at the time.
Analysis

Key Findings

This was the first real-world activation of UCA's post-Virginia Tech emergency notification system
The system relied on automated phone calls and emails rather than text messages
The drive-by shooting format differed from the active-shooter scenarios that most post-VT systems were designed around
The two students killed were unintended bystanders, highlighting that campus violence does not always follow the lone-gunman pattern
Outcome
Four suspects were arrested and charged with two counts of capital murder, one count of attempted murder, eight counts of committing a terroristic act, and additional weapons charges. The two students killed were not the intended targets.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Source
    2008 University of Central Arkansas shooting - Wikipedia
    en.wikipedia.org
  2. Official
    Information about UCA Campus Shooting - University of Central Arkansas
    uca.edu
  3. News
    Four charged in Arkansas campus shooting - CNN
    edition.cnn.com
  4. News
    This week marks 15th anniversary of UCA shooting that killed two students - THV11
    thv11.com
Tags
shootingdrive-byfirst-system-activationpost-virginia-techphone-call-alertbystander-victims2008
Added April 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion