{
  "id": "2023-03-11-colby-college-shooting",
  "slug": "colby-college-shooting-2023-03-11",
  "institution": {
    "name": "Colby College",
    "shortName": "Colby",
    "state": "ME",
    "type": "private-liberal-arts",
    "enrollment": 2000
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2023-03-11",
    "type": "shooting",
    "cleryCategory": "emergency-notification",
    "resolution": "confirmed-threat",
    "headline": "Non-student fires two rounds into a dorm hallway during a campus party; no injuries",
    "headlinePublic": "Non-student fires two rounds into a dorm hallway during a campus party; no injuries",
    "summary": "During the early morning hours of March 11, 2023, during the annual ['Doghead' party](https://colbyecho.news/2023/03/17/incident-of-gun-violence-at-the-college/) at Alfond Senior Apartments, non-student Andrew Gifford (24, of Waterville) allegedly fired two rounds from a Ruger 9mm handgun into a hallway wall following an altercation. No injuries occurred. Colby went into lockdown, with [Interim Dean Barbara Moore emailing students at 2:21 AM EST](https://colbyecho.news/2023/03/17/incident-of-gun-violence-at-the-college/) urging shelter in place. Gifford was [arrested and charged with reckless conduct](https://www.centralmaine.com/2023/03/11/waterville-man-charged-with-reckless-conduct-after-gunshot-fired-at-colby-college-campus-apartments/).",
    "outcome": "Andrew Gifford was arrested and charged with reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon. No injuries were reported. The incident occurred at student housing during a large social gathering."
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestamp": "2023-03-11T02:21:00-05:00",
      "channel": "email",
      "verbatimText": "We urge you to shelter in place until we have additional information that the campus is entirely safe. The Waterville Police Department have a person in custody who attended events there and fired a gun.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://colbyecho.news/2023/03/17/incident-of-gun-violence-at-the-college/",
      "sourceDescription": "Colby Echo student newspaper, quoting Interim Dean Barbara Moore's 2:21 AM email",
      "annotations": [
        "Sent at 2:21 AM EST on March 11, 2023, approximately 50 minutes after the shots were fired around 1:30 AM EST",
        "The alert confirmed a suspect was already in custody, which would have reduced the perceived threat level for students",
        "Prior to the Dean's email, the SGA Vice President had texted students asking them to shelter in place, filling the communication gap"
      ],
      "characterCount": 203
    },
    {
      "sequence": 2,
      "type": "all-clear",
      "timestampApprox": "Early morning of March 11, 2023, after Dean's email",
      "channel": "email",
      "verbatimText": "",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": false,
      "sourceDescription": "Reconstructed from Colby Echo, Central Maine, and Bangor Daily News reporting",
      "annotations": []
    }
  ],
  "context": "During the early morning hours of March 11, 2023, gunfire erupted at Colby College's Alfond Senior Apartments during the annual ['Doghead' party](https://colbyecho.news/2023/03/17/incident-of-gun-violence-at-the-college/), a tradition near St. Patrick's Day. Police said Andrew Gifford, 24, of Waterville (not a Colby student), got into an altercation and fired two rounds from a Ruger 9mm handgun into a hallway wall. No one was injured. Waterville Police responded and arrested Gifford. [Central Maine reported](https://www.centralmaine.com/2023/03/11/waterville-man-charged-with-reckless-conduct-after-gunshot-fired-at-colby-college-campus-apartments/) that he was charged with reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon. Interim Dean Barbara Moore sent a shelter-in-place email at 2:21 AM EST. The [Colby Echo](https://colbyecho.news/2023/03/17/incident-of-gun-violence-at-the-college/) reported that before the Dean's email, the SGA Vice President had texted students urging them to shelter in place, filling a communication gap. [The Bangor Daily News](https://www.bangordailynews.com/2023/03/11/central-maine/colby-college-shelter-in-place-gun-discharged/) and [Boston.com](https://www.boston.com/news/crime/2023/03/11/colby-college-goes-into-lockdown-after-shot-fired-on-campus/) provided breaking coverage. [WGME](https://wgme.com/news/local/waterville-man-charged-shooting-incident-colby-college-campus-maine-students-alfond-gifford-handgun-rounds-weapon-reckless-conduct) confirmed the charges.",
  "keyFindings": [
    "The shooter was a non-student who had attended the party, raising questions about visitor access to campus housing during large social events",
    "Student government stepped in to fill the communication gap, the SGA VP texted students before the Dean's official email, highlighting informal alert networks",
    "No injuries occurred despite shots being fired in a hallway during a crowded party, making this a near-miss incident"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "Incident of gun violence at the College (Colby Echo)",
      "url": "https://colbyecho.news/2023/03/17/incident-of-gun-violence-at-the-college/",
      "type": "student-newspaper"
    },
    {
      "title": "Waterville man charged with reckless conduct (Central Maine)",
      "url": "https://www.centralmaine.com/2023/03/11/waterville-man-charged-with-reckless-conduct-after-gunshot-fired-at-colby-college-campus-apartments/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Colby College goes into lockdown (Bangor Daily News)",
      "url": "https://www.bangordailynews.com/2023/03/11/central-maine/colby-college-shelter-in-place-gun-discharged/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Colby College goes into lockdown after shot fired (Boston.com)",
      "url": "https://www.boston.com/news/crime/2023/03/11/colby-college-goes-into-lockdown-after-shot-fired-on-campus/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Waterville man charged in shooting incident (WGME)",
      "url": "https://wgme.com/news/local/waterville-man-charged-shooting-incident-colby-college-campus-maine-students-alfond-gifford-handgun-rounds-weapon-reckless-conduct",
      "type": "local-media"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "medium",
  "tags": [
    "shooting",
    "liberal-arts-college",
    "maine",
    "non-student-shooter",
    "doghead-party",
    "student-housing",
    "no-injuries",
    "reckless-conduct"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-04-04",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-04-04",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}