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WSU

Officer fires one shot during a knife-report response in a residence hall; no injuries

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WApolice activityemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

On March 27, 2024, WSU Police responded to a report of a man with a knife on the 4th floor of Global Scholars Hall in Pullman. The caller turned out to be the subject himself, a 20-year-old student, who had described himself to dispatchers. When officers arrived, police said the student advanced toward them despite repeated commands to stop, and an officer fired one shot that missed. No one was injured.

Alerts
3
Response
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
Washington State University
Public R1 · WA
All WSU cases →
~32,000 studentsWSU Alert
Documented Timeline

Alert Sequence

3 messages in sequence · 1 verified verbatim

Some messages in this sequence are documented (their existence, timing, and channel are sourced) but their exact wording is not preserved in the public record. Those entries appear as placeholders; only confirmed text is displayed.

INITIAL ALERTPush
Wording not preserved
A initial alert message is documented at this point in the sequence, but its exact wording is not preserved in the public record. The public edition displays only confirmed alert text.
UPDATEPush+23 min
Police responded to a threat at Global Scholars Hall, 1302 Cougar Way, Pullman, WA. An individual is in custody and no longer a threat. Please stay clear of the area while Law Enforcement investigates.
Verbatim text published on the WSU Alert archive page (alert.wsu.edu/2024/03/27/incident-wsu-pullman/) for the March 27, 2024 incident
References the Global Scholars Hall street address (1302 Cougar Way), an unusual detail that grounds recipients in the specific location
An officer deployed a Taser which was initially ineffective; the student continued advancing and took his hands out of his sweatshirt pocket in what officers described as an aggressive manner
The responding officer fired one shot that did not strike the student
ALL CLEARPush
Wording not preserved
A all clear message is documented at this point in the sequence, but its exact wording is not preserved in the public record. The public edition displays only confirmed alert text.
Context

Background

On the morning of March 27, 2024, WSU Police responded to a 911 call reporting a male subject with a knife on the 4th floor of Global Scholars Hall, a residence hall on the Pullman campus. The investigation revealed that a 20-year-old student had called 911 on himself, describing his own appearance to dispatchers. When officers arrived, the student had his hands in his sweatshirt pockets and began advancing toward them. Officers repeatedly commanded him to stop and remove his hands. An officer deployed a Taser, which had no effect. The student then removed his hands from his pockets in what officers called an aggressive manner, prompting the responding officer to fire one shot that missed. The student was taken into custody for obstructing an officer and transported to Pullman Regional Hospital. In April 2024, the Whitman County Prosecutor's Office declined to file charges against either the student or the officer.
Analysis

Key Findings

The subject called 911 on himself, describing his own appearance, creating an unusual crisis response scenario
A Taser was deployed before lethal force was used but proved ineffective
Neither the student nor the officer was charged; the regional officer-involved shooting team conducted an independent review
Outcome
The student was taken into custody for obstructing an officer and transported to Pullman Regional Hospital for evaluation. The responding officer was placed on administrative leave per protocol. Neither the student nor the officer was charged in the incident.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Official
  2. Official
  3. News
  4. News
Cite this case

Campus Alert Archive. "Washington State University: Officer fires one shot during a knife-report response in a residence hall; no injuries." Incident of March 27, 2024. Added May 2026. https://campusalertarchive.com/case/washington-state-university-shooting-2024-03-27/

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Alert text quoted on this page remains the work of the issuing institution; the archive is a secondary source.

Tags
police-shootingkniferesidence-hallwashingtonofficer-involved-shootingmental-healthno-charges
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion