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.
WKU
Shots-fired report near off-campus student apartments; no campus threat found
AI-generated · every claim is source-linkedUnfoundedNo 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 the evening of February 12, 2026, Bowling Green Police were dispatched to reports of shots fired near The Registry apartments along Old Morgantown Road and University Boulevard, just off the WKU campus. WKU issued a sequence of WKU Alerts at 7:39, 7:47, and 8:11 p.m. CST, all emphasizing 'No threat at this time' to the campus, and no threat to campus was detected that evening.
- Alerts
- 2
- Response
- —
- Killed
- 0
- Injured
- 0
~16,000 studentsWKU Alert
Official alert policy
Read when and how WKU says it will use WKU Alert: summarized, quoted, and analyzed.
Documented Timeline
Alert Sequence
2 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.
WKU Alert: Law enforcement is investigating the reported alleged incident near campus. No threat at this time. Updates will follow as available.
Verbatim text quoted in WKU Herald coverage; this was the third alert that evening, sent at 8:11 p.m. CST after earlier 7:39 p.m. CST and 7:47 p.m. CST alerts
The 'No threat at this time' framing was repeated across the alert sequence, a deliberate choice that minimizes lockdown disruption while keeping the community informed
No further alerts followed; police reported no threat to campus was detected in connection with this shots-fired report
Context
Background
On the evening of Thursday, February 12, 2026, Bowling Green Police were dispatched to a shots-fired report near The Registry apartments on Old Morgantown Road, a private apartment complex housing many WKU students. WKU's WKU Alert system issued an initial alert at 7:39 p.m. CST, a second at 7:47 p.m. CST reporting shots fired at Old Morgantown Road and University Boulevard, and a third at 8:11 p.m. CST reaffirming there was 'No threat at this time' to campus. Police detected no threat to campus and located no victim in connection with the report. In a separate incident days later in the same corridor, Diego Andres Lopez-Urdaneta was found inside a vehicle on the 300 block of University Boulevard with a gunshot wound to the head; he was hospitalized and died, making that case a homicide investigation. In that case, Bryan Aguero Lopez, 22, was indicted by a Warren County grand jury for murder, with additional charges against more individuals bringing the total to five people indicted. The February 12 alerts illustrate the persistent challenge of off-campus student housing complexes that are within walking distance of campus but not subject to university-controlled security: shots-fired reports and, days later, a fatal shooting in the same area directly affected the WKU community.
Analysis
Key Findings
WKU's repeated use of the 'No threat at this time' clause across both alerts in the sequence shows a calibrated approach that informs without alarming, but also raises questions about under-warning when an off-campus shooting affects a student-heavy housing complex
A fatal shooting in the same University Boulevard corridor days later was a separate incident from this shots-fired report, a reminder that clusters of nearby off-campus incidents are easily conflated in both alerts and later coverage
Student housing complexes like The Registry sit in a regulatory gap, within walking distance of campus and home to many students, but not subject to university security or Clery reporting
Outcome
No threat to the WKU campus was detected, and no victim was located in connection with the February 12 shots-fired report. A fatal shooting days later in the same University Boulevard corridor — the killing of Diego Andres Lopez-Urdaneta, for which five people were ultimately indicted — was a separate incident.
Provenance
Sources
- Student Paper
- News
- News
- News
- News
- Official
Cite this case
Campus Alert Archive. "Western Kentucky University: Shots-fired report near off-campus student apartments; no campus threat found." Incident of February 12, 2026. Added May 2026; last updated July 2026. https://campusalertarchive.com/case/western-kentucky-university-registry-shots-fired-2026-02-12/
Alert text quoted on this page remains the work of the issuing institution; the archive is a secondary source.
Tags
shots-firedkentuckypublic-universityoff-campusapartment-complexwku-alertno-threat-framingUnfounded
Added May 2026Updated July 2026Via ingestion