Campus Alert Archive
UI

Pre-Dawn Vandal Alert After Gunshots and Six-Hour Barricade at Almon Street Apartment One Block from UI Campus

IDarmed personemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

In the early morning hours of September 5, 2023, the University of Idaho issued a Vandal Alert advising students to shelter in place after shots were fired at an apartment building at 110 S. Almon Street, less than a mile from campus, and the shooter barricaded himself inside. A six-hour standoff involving a regional SWAT team, Idaho State Police, Pullman Police, and WSU Police ended when SWAT used tear gas and breached the apartment, arresting 54-year-old Thomas Adams without further incident at approximately 8:05 AM PDT.

Alerts
3
Response
174 min
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
University of Idaho
Public R1 · ID
~12,000 studentsVandal Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

3 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 ALERTSMS
Approximate reconstruction160 chars
UI Vandal Alert: Active gunfire reported at 100 block S. Almon St., Moscow. Shelter in place. Avoid the area. More information to follow. vandalalert.uidaho.edu

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

The Vandal Alert was sent at 4:54 AM PDT, approximately two hours and fifty minutes after police first received reports of shots fired near the corner of Almon Street and First Street shortly after 2:00 AM PDT on September 5, 2023.
The 100 block of South Almon Street is approximately 0.7 miles northeast of the University of Idaho's main campus in Moscow, Idaho; the proximity prompted a campus-wide shelter-in-place advisory for students in adjacent residential areas.
UPDATESMS+1h 6m
Approximate reconstruction199 chars
UI Vandal Alert Update: Police are responding to an armed, barricaded suspect at 110 S. Almon St. SWAT is on scene. Continue to shelter in place and avoid the area. No injuries reported at this time.

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

Just before 6:00 AM PDT, Moscow Police Department confirmed shots had been fired by a lone suspect who had barricaded himself inside his apartment at 110 S. Almon Street; the Latah County Regional SWAT Team was activated alongside Idaho State Police, Pullman PD, WSU Police, and the Nez Perce County Sheriff's Office.
The multi-agency response reflected Moscow Police's established regional SWAT protocol for barricaded armed suspects; Moscow serves both UI and WSU students due to its proximity to Pullman, Washington.
ALL CLEARSMS+3h 26m
Approximate reconstruction224 chars
UI Vandal Alert: All Clear. The barricaded suspect situation at S. Almon St. has been resolved. The suspect is in custody. The shelter-in-place advisory is lifted. Campus is open. Contact MOPD with information: 208-883-7054.

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

SWAT entered the apartment at approximately 8:05 AM PDT following failed negotiations and deployment of tear gas, arresting Thomas Adams, 54, without further incident; the all-clear was issued within minutes of the arrest.
The Argonaut reported that University of Idaho followed up with safety tips in the days after the incident, given heightened community awareness following the November 2022 quadruple homicide on Kings Road.
Context

Background

The September 5, 2023 Almon Street barricade took place less than a year after the November 2022 quadruple homicide on King Road had already put the Moscow community on high alert, and the pre-dawn shooting and standoff added to community anxiety. Moscow Police received multiple 911 calls reporting shots fired near the corner of Almon Street and First Street shortly after 2:00 AM PDT; officers established a perimeter and confirmed a lone suspect had barricaded himself inside apartment 110 S. Almon Street. The University of Idaho's Vandal Alert system was activated at 4:54 AM PDT, nearly three hours after the initial shots, advising students in the area to shelter in place. The Latah County Regional SWAT Team, Idaho State Police, Pullman Police, WSU Police, and the Nez Perce County Sheriff's Office all responded. Negotiators worked with Adams for hours, but he refused to surrender; authorities then deployed tear gas, and SWAT entered and arrested him at approximately 8:05 AM PDT without further incident. Thomas Adams, 54, a Moscow resident, was taken into custody. The UI Argonaut reported that no injuries resulted and that the university issued safety guidance in the wake of the incident. The six-hour standoff demonstrated the regional mutual-aid model that coordinates UI Police, Moscow PD, and partners across the Washington-Idaho border given that the UI and WSU campuses are just eight miles apart.
Analysis

Key Findings

The Vandal Alert was issued approximately 2 hours and 50 minutes after the initial 911 calls, illustrating how pre-dawn incidents with an evolving perimeter can delay campus notification decisions
The six-hour standoff involved five separate law enforcement agencies across two states, reflecting the cross-border UI-WSU mutual aid network established in the aftermath of the 2022 King Road murders
SWAT used tear gas before breaching the apartment, a less-lethal escalation sequence that resulted in a no-injury arrest despite the suspect having already fired shots
The incident occurred less than ten months after the November 2022 quadruple homicide, amplifying community anxiety and heightening public scrutiny of the university's emergency communications timeline
Outcome
Thomas Adams, 54, was arrested at approximately 8:05 AM PDT on September 5, 2023, after SWAT entered his residence following failed negotiations and tear gas deployment. No injuries were reported. Adams was booked on charges related to the shooting incident.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Student Paper
    Six-hour standoff results in suspect's arrest - The Argonaut (UI student newspaper)
    uiargonaut.com
  2. News
    Man arrested after six-hour standoff in Moscow - Spokesman-Review
    spokesman.com
  3. News
    54-Year-Old Moscow Man in Custody After Shots Fired and Standoff Near Downtown Moscow - Big Country News Connection
    bigcountrynewsconnection.com
  4. News
    One person in custody after gunshots prompted SWAT standoff in Moscow - KREM
    krem.com
  5. News
    Police respond to active shooter near University of Idaho - FOX 13 Seattle
    fox13seattle.com
Tags
barricadestandoffarmed-personswattear-gasvandal-alertidahomoscowmutual-aidpre-dawn2023shelter-in-placepost-king-roadmulti-agency
Added June 2026Updated June 2026Via ingestion