{
  "id": "2019-02-06-central-washington-university-false-active-shooter",
  "slug": "central-washington-university-false-active-shooter-2019-02-06",
  "institution": {
    "name": "Central Washington University",
    "shortName": "CWU",
    "state": "WA",
    "type": "public-masters",
    "alertSystemName": "CWU Alert",
    "alertPlatform": "Rave",
    "enrollment": 12000
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2019-02-06",
    "type": "active-shooter",
    "cleryCategory": "emergency-notification",
    "headline": "Active-shooter report at Lind Hall determined to be unfounded after multi-agency response",
    "headlinePublic": "Active-shooter report at Lind Hall determined to be unfounded after multi-agency response",
    "summary": "On the evening of February 6, 2019, a student's overheard remark about a threat cascaded into a false active-shooter alarm at Central Washington University's Ellensburg campus. After ROTC protocol triggered an evacuation of Lind Hall, [a county-wide emergency notification went out at 5:25 p.m. PST reporting an active shooter](https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2019/feb/06/active-shooter-reported-at-central-washington-univ/) in the building. Five law-enforcement agencies responded and cleared every building before [an all-clear was given at 7:27 p.m. PST](https://www.krem.com/article/news/local/northwest/active-shooter-reported-at-central-washington-universtiy/293-aa42a936-633f-4d3d-a363-213d0532c7dc). There was no shooter and no one was hurt.",
    "outcome": "No active shooter existed. The alarm originated from a student overhearing CWU Police discussing a separate threatening-statements case. CWU later requested $3.28 million in state funding to upgrade campus security systems.",
    "resolution": "unfounded"
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestamp": "2019-02-06T17:35:00-08:00",
      "channel": "sms",
      "verbatimText": "CWU Alert: There has been a report of an active shooter in the area of Lind Hall on CWU Ellensburg Campus. Stay out of the area.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.cwu.edu/about/media-resources/news/emergency-response-update.php",
      "sourceDescription": "CWU official emergency response update page and multiple news outlets (KREM, KHQ, Yakima Herald) all confirm this as the exact CWU Alert sent via SMS, email, and voicemail at 5:35 p.m. PST on February 6, 2019",
      "annotations": [
        "Verbatim text confirmed: CWU's own emergency response update page and multiple news outlets (KREM, KHQ, NBCRightNow) all document this exact CWU Alert text sent at 5:35 p.m. PST on February 6, 2019 via the Rave system.",
        "A separate county-wide Kittcom notification was sent at 5:25 p.m. PST -- ten minutes earlier -- but that was directed only to other law enforcement agencies, not the public.",
        "CWU also tweeted the same text at 5:58 p.m. PST; the 5:35 p.m. PST SMS/email/voicemail delivery on February 6, 2019 was first and is the primary public-facing alert."
      ],
      "characterCount": 128
    },
    {
      "sequence": 2,
      "type": "all-clear",
      "timestamp": "2019-02-06T19:27:00-08:00",
      "channel": "twitter-x",
      "verbatimText": "University police reported that all buildings have been secured and the campus is safe and all-clear.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.khq.com/news/cwu-campus-is-safe-and-all-clear/article_9ef6796a-2a7b-11e9-b5ae-77b06b1d5c4d.html",
      "sourceDescription": "KHQ (Spokane) and NBCRightNow both directly quote this as the verbatim CWU all-clear tweet issued after a building-by-building search confirmed no shooter on campus on February 6, 2019",
      "annotations": [
        "Verbatim text confirmed: KHQ Spokane and NBCRightNow both quote this exact CWU all-clear tweet issued at approximately 7:27 p.m. PST on February 6, 2019 after five agencies cleared all campus buildings.",
        "The approximately two-hour response window -- 5:35 p.m. PST initial alert to 7:27 p.m. PST all-clear on February 6, 2019 -- reflects how long it took five law-enforcement agencies to systematically clear every campus building during a false-alarm active-shooter response.",
        "The absence of 'no shooter was found' language in the all-clear is notable: CWU simply confirmed buildings were secured rather than explicitly acknowledging the report was unfounded."
      ],
      "characterCount": 101
    }
  ],
  "context": "According to the university's own timeline reported by [the Spokesman-Review](https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2019/feb/06/active-shooter-reported-at-central-washington-univ/) and [KREM](https://www.krem.com/article/news/local/northwest/active-shooter-reported-at-central-washington-universtiy/293-aa42a936-633f-4d3d-a363-213d0532c7dc), Ellensburg Police told CWU Police at 4:13 p.m. PST on February 6, 2019, about a student making threatening statements. At 4:38 p.m. PST CWU Police asked the Case Management office to lock their doors; that conversation was overheard by a student who told staff in Lind Hall there was an active-shooter threat. ROTC protocol began evacuating Lind Hall at 5:15 p.m. PST, and at 5:25 p.m. PST a county-wide 911 notification reported an active shooter in Lind Hall. Five agencies responded and searched every building, finding nothing, and [the Seattle Times](https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/active-shooter-reported-on-central-washington-university-campus-in-ellensburg/) confirmed the all-clear came at 7:27 p.m. PST. CWU President James Gaudino said 'the events of Wednesday night resulted from overheard words.' The university later sought [$3.28 million for security upgrades](https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/central-washington-university-requests-3-28-million-for-security-after-false-shooter-report/).",
  "keyFindings": [
    "A false active-shooter alarm at a public master's university grew entirely from a student overhearing police discuss an unrelated threatening-statements case",
    "The most consequential message, the 5:25 p.m. PST county-wide notification, came through the 911 system, not from a confirmed CWU Police observation",
    "The response spanned about two hours and five law-enforcement agencies before a 7:27 p.m. PST all-clear on February 6, 2019; no shooter existed and no one was hurt",
    "CWU subsequently requested $3.28 million in state funding to upgrade its security and notification systems"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "Central Washington University given 'all clear' after active shooter report, lockdown - The Spokesman-Review",
      "url": "https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2019/feb/06/active-shooter-reported-at-central-washington-univ/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "CWU Pres. breaks down how rumors triggered active shooter alert - KREM",
      "url": "https://www.krem.com/article/news/local/northwest/active-shooter-reported-at-central-washington-universtiy/293-aa42a936-633f-4d3d-a363-213d0532c7dc",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Report of active shooter at Central Washington University was false alarm - The Seattle Times",
      "url": "https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/active-shooter-reported-on-central-washington-university-campus-in-ellensburg/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Central Washington University requests $3.28 million for security after false shooter report - The Seattle Times",
      "url": "https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/central-washington-university-requests-3-28-million-for-security-after-false-shooter-report/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "CWU official emergency response update page and multiple news outlets (KREM, KHQ, Yakima Herald) all confirm this as the",
      "url": "https://www.cwu.edu/about/media-resources/news/emergency-response-update.php",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "KHQ (Spokane) and NBCRightNow both directly quote this as the verbatim CWU all-clear tweet issued after a building-by-bu",
      "url": "https://www.khq.com/news/cwu-campus-is-safe-and-all-clear/article_9ef6796a-2a7b-11e9-b5ae-77b06b1d5c4d.html",
      "type": "local-media"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "medium",
  "tags": [
    "active-shooter",
    "false-alarm",
    "washington",
    "emergency-notification",
    "cwu-alert",
    "rumor",
    "lind-hall"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-05-29",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-07-16",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}