{
  "id": "2024-10-26-clemson-university-armed-person",
  "slug": "clemson-university-armed-person-2024-10-26",
  "institution": {
    "name": "Clemson University",
    "shortName": "Clemson",
    "state": "SC",
    "type": "public-r1",
    "alertSystemName": "CU Safe Alert",
    "enrollment": 29000
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2024-10-26",
    "type": "armed-person",
    "cleryCategory": "emergency-notification",
    "resolution": "confirmed-threat",
    "headline": "Armed person report, October 26, 2024",
    "summary": "On October 26, 2024, at approximately 3:18 p.m., [Clemson University](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clemson_University) Police received a report of an individual with a firearm near Mell Hall. An urgent CU Safe Alert was sent directing the campus community to avoid the area and shelter in place. Officers located the man sitting on a bench in front of Mell Hall, [wearing body armor and carrying two loaded revolvers and an ammunition belt](https://www.foxcarolina.com/2024/10/26/clemson-university-police-respond-person-with-firearm-campus-officers-say/). He was taken into custody without incident.",
    "outcome": "The suspect, Benjamin Allen Wemp, was arrested without incident and charged with unlawful possession of a weapon on university property. He was found with two loaded revolvers, body armor, and an ammunition belt. Bond was set at $25,000."
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestamp": "2024-10-26T15:18:20-04:00",
      "channel": "twitter-x",
      "verbatimText": "CRITICAL CU ALERT: Police responding to reports of an armed subject in the vicinity of Mell Hall. Avoid the area. Secure in place.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceDescription": "@ClemsonSafety on X (verbatim CRITICAL CU ALERT)",
      "annotations": [
        "Verified complete alert text on https://x.com/ClemsonSafety/status/1850255663030829302 (@ClemsonSafety); archiveUrl null (X status). characterCount=130.",
        "Mell Hall is an academic building on Clemson's main campus"
      ],
      "characterCount": 130,
      "sourceUrl": "https://x.com/ClemsonSafety/status/1850255663030829302",
      "archiveUrl": null,
      "confidence": "high",
      "lastUpdated": "2026-07-18"
    },
    {
      "sequence": 2,
      "type": "all-clear",
      "channel": "twitter-x",
      "verbatimText": "Urgent CU Alert: All Clear- The person armed with a weapon has been resolved. Normal operations have resumed. 10/26/2024.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceDescription": "@ClemsonSafety on X (verbatim Urgent CU Alert All Clear)",
      "annotations": [
        "Verified complete alert text on https://x.com/ClemsonSafety/status/1850257702423069040 (@ClemsonSafety); archiveUrl null (X status). characterCount=121.",
        "Police described the individual as non-threatening and compliant during the encounter",
        "Upon search, officers discovered body armor, an ammunition belt, and a second loaded revolver in addition to the visible firearm"
      ],
      "characterCount": 121,
      "sourceUrl": "https://x.com/ClemsonSafety/status/1850257702423069040",
      "timestamp": "2024-10-26T15:26:27-04:00",
      "archiveUrl": null,
      "confidence": "high",
      "lastUpdated": "2026-07-18"
    }
  ],
  "context": "On a Saturday afternoon during [Clemson's](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clemson_University) fall semester, a man was reported sitting on a bench outside Mell Hall with a visible firearm on his hip. The Clemson University Police Department issued an urgent CU Safe Alert directing the campus to shelter in place and avoid the area. When officers arrived, they found Benjamin Allen Wemp seated calmly on the bench. He was described as [non-threatening and compliant](https://www.wspa.com/news/local-news/armed-individual-arrested-on-clemson-university-campus/). However, the situation was more alarming than it initially appeared: in addition to the loaded revolver on his hip, Wemp was wearing body armor and an ammunition belt containing several rounds, and he had a second loaded revolver concealed in his pants pocket. He was arrested and charged with unlawful possession of a weapon on university property, with bond set at $25,000. The incident raised concerns about campus safety and the ease of bringing weapons onto university grounds. At trial, a Clemson student testified about the fear the incident caused, stating that [a gun on campus is meant to take a life](https://thetigercu.com/28094/news/firearm-possession-trial-campus-clemson-student-guns/).",
  "keyFindings": [
    "The suspect was carrying two loaded revolvers, body armor, and an ammunition belt when arrested on campus",
    "Despite the heavy armament, the individual was described as non-threatening and compliant with officers",
    "The incident prompted campus discussion about weapons on university property and the adequacy of existing security measures"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "Armed individual arrested on Clemson University campus (WSPA)",
      "url": "https://www.wspa.com/news/local-news/armed-individual-arrested-on-clemson-university-campus/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Man charged after bringing gun onto Clemson University's campus, police say (Fox Carolina)",
      "url": "https://www.foxcarolina.com/2024/10/26/clemson-university-police-respond-person-with-firearm-campus-officers-say/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Man arrested for firearm possession on Clemson's campus (The Tiger)",
      "url": "https://thetigercu.com/22652/news/man-arrested-for-firearm-possession-on-clemsons-campus-crime-local/",
      "type": "student-newspaper"
    },
    {
      "title": "'A gun is meant to take a life': Clemson student testifies in firearm possession trial (The Tiger)",
      "url": "https://thetigercu.com/28094/news/firearm-possession-trial-campus-clemson-student-guns/",
      "type": "student-newspaper"
    },
    {
      "title": "@ClemsonSafety X — Mell Hall CRITICAL CU ALERT",
      "url": "https://x.com/ClemsonSafety/status/1850255663030829302",
      "type": "official-social"
    },
    {
      "title": "@ClemsonSafety X — Mell Hall All Clear",
      "url": "https://x.com/ClemsonSafety/status/1850257702423069040",
      "type": "official-social"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "medium",
  "tags": [
    "armed-person",
    "firearms",
    "body-armor",
    "arrest",
    "south-carolina",
    "shelter-in-place",
    "weapons-on-campus"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-04-04",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-07-18",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}