Campus Alert Archive
WMU

Gunfire West of Campus: WMU Alert Advisory Warns Community as Kalamazoo Police Hunt Fleeing Suspect

MIshootingadvisorymedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

On September 28, 2023, the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety responded to a shooting in the 900 block of W Lovell Street, just west of the Western Michigan University campus. WMU issued an advisory alert at approximately 11:00 AM EDT warning the community, with an update at noon confirming the suspect had fled away from campus.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
1
Injured
1
Institution
Western Michigan University
Public R2 · MI
~19,000 studentsWMU Alert
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 ALERTPush
Verified verbatimWestern Herald (WMU student newspaper), which quoted the 11 a.m. advisory verbatim103 chars
KDPS is responding to the 900 block of W Lovell in regards to a shooting investigation. Avoid the area.
Verbatim text of the 11 a.m. EDT advisory as quoted by the Western Herald, attributed to the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety alert to the WMU community
The shooting occurred west of the WMU campus in the city of Kalamazoo
WMU issued this as an advisory rather than an emergency notification, indicating the threat was not on campus
ALL CLEARPush
Approximate reconstruction166 chars
WMU UPDATE: The suspect in the shooting on W Lovell fled the scene, away from WMU. There is no threat to campus. If circumstances change, a notification will be sent.

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

Reconstructed from student newspaper and local media coverage
The update explicitly confirmed the suspect fled away from campus, not toward it
This was the third shooting incident near the WMU campus in 2023, following incidents in April
Context

Background

On September 28, 2023, the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety responded to a shooting investigation in the 900 block of W Lovell Street, located west of Western Michigan University's main campus. The shooting was one of several violent incidents near the WMU campus in 2023, including a fatal shooting in April at the Westchester Woods Apartments and another fatal shooting on W Michigan Avenue the same month. WMU President Edward Montgomery addressed the series of shootings, stating the university mourned the recent losses of life. The Kalamazoo police sought witnesses and continued their investigation. The proximity of these incidents to campus led to increased concerns about off-campus safety and prompted discussions about expanding WMU police patrol areas and enhancing campus security technology.
Analysis

Key Findings

WMU appropriately classified this as an advisory rather than an emergency notification since the shooting occurred off campus
This was the third shooting near the WMU campus in 2023, reflecting ongoing safety concerns in the surrounding neighborhood
The alert update confirmed the suspect fled away from campus, reducing the threat level
Outcome
Two men were shot near a Circle K gas station at the corner of West Lovell Street and Oakland Drive, just west of WMU. Tyrone Jerome Potts, 35, of Kalamazoo, was transported to a hospital and died from his injuries; the other victim was shot several times and survived. The suspect fled in a white Dodge Journey (Michigan plate 7PJS08). Brendan Smith, 31, of Kalamazoo, was arrested on October 16, 2023 and charged with open murder; he later pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and felony firearm. No WMU students or campus community members were reported harmed.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Student Paper
    Shooting occurs near WMU campus (Western Herald)
    westernherald.com
  2. News
    Kalamazoo police looking for witnesses of shooting near WMU (WOOD-TV)
    woodtv.com
  3. Official
    We mourn recent tragic losses of life (WMU President)
    wmich.edu
  4. News
    1 dead in shooting near Western Michigan University (WWJ Radio)
    audacy.com
Tags
shootingoff-campusadvisorymichiganpublic-universityneighborhood-violence
Added April 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion