{
  "id": "2022-02-01-coppin-state-university-bomb-threat",
  "slug": "coppin-state-university-bomb-threat-2022-02-01",
  "institution": {
    "name": "Coppin State University",
    "shortName": "Coppin State",
    "state": "MD",
    "type": "hbcu",
    "enrollment": 2500,
    "alertSystemName": "Coppin Blackboard Connect"
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2022-02-01",
    "type": "bomb-threat",
    "cleryCategory": "emergency-notification",
    "headline": "Bomb threat on the first day of Black History Month; campus swept, no devices found",
    "headlinePublic": "Bomb threat on the first day of Black History Month; campus swept, no devices found",
    "summary": "[Coppin State University](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coppin_State_University) received a bomb threat on the first day of Black History Month, February 1, 2022, alongside [Morgan State University](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morgan_State_University) in Baltimore. Both campuses canceled in-person classes and kept students sheltered in place throughout the morning while Baltimore Police, campus police, and the FBI investigated. No explosive devices were found, and [President Anthony Jenkins confirmed the campus was cleared](https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/crime/bs-md-ci-cr-morgan-state-bomb-threat-20220201-hplp736rnfczdffhyu6rbpoue4-story.html) by early afternoon.",
    "outcome": "Campus cleared by Baltimore Police Department, FBI, and campus security. No explosive devices found. Classes and university services resumed at 5 p.m. that day.",
    "resolution": "confirmed-hoax"
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestampApprox": "Early morning, February 1, 2022 EST",
      "channel": "email",
      "verbatimText": "If you are on campus, please, shelter in place, and wait for further instructions. Emergency officials are evaluating the campus and we will provide updates, as soon as possible.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.wmar2news.com/news/local-news/shelter-in-place-issued-at-morgan-state-howard-universities",
      "sourceDescription": "Coppin State University shelter-in-place alert text quoted verbatim by WMAR-2 News, February 1, 2022",
      "annotations": [
        "Verbatim from the alert message posted on Coppin State University's website, quoted by WMAR-2 News; the comma placement ('please, shelter in place, and wait') and 'updates, as soon as possible' are preserved exactly as published",
        "Coppin State and Morgan State in Baltimore were targeted simultaneously, suggesting coordinated timing against the city's two HBCUs",
        "Part of a wave of at least 13 bomb threats against HBCUs on the first day of Black History Month"
      ],
      "characterCount": 178
    }
  ],
  "context": "[Coppin State University](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coppin_State_University), a public HBCU in Baltimore, was one of at least 13 historically Black colleges and universities targeted with bomb threats on February 1, 2022, the first day of Black History Month. The threat arrived the same morning as one at nearby [Morgan State University](https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/crime/bs-md-ci-cr-morgan-state-bomb-threat-20220201-hplp736rnfczdffhyu6rbpoue4-story.html), meaning both of Baltimore's HBCUs were locked down simultaneously. This was part of the [2022 HBCU bomb threat wave](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_bomb_threats_against_historically_Black_colleges_and_universities) which produced at least 57 bomb threats against HBCUs and other institutions and targeted dozens of Black colleges between January and February 2022. The FBI investigated the campaign as [racially motivated hate crimes](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/six-juveniles-identified-fbi-persons-interests-bomb-threats-historical-rcna14591) and identified six juveniles as persons of interest. No explosive devices were found at any campus nationwide.",
  "keyFindings": [
    "Both of Baltimore's HBCUs were targeted simultaneously on the same morning",
    "President Anthony Jenkins confirmed the campus was cleared by BPD, FBI, and campus security with no devices found",
    "The DSU vs. Coppin State basketball game had to be rescheduled, showing the ripple effects of threats beyond academics",
    "The threat came on the first day of Black History Month, consistent with the symbolic timing of the broader campaign"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "Baltimore's Morgan State, Coppin State campuses close due to bomb threats -- Baltimore Sun",
      "url": "https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/crime/bs-md-ci-cr-morgan-state-bomb-threat-20220201-hplp736rnfczdffhyu6rbpoue4-story.html",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Coppin State and Morgan State among HBCUs targeted with bomb threats -- WMAR",
      "url": "https://www.wmar2news.com/news/local-news/shelter-in-place-issued-at-morgan-state-howard-universities",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Morgan State, Coppin State campuses cleared after bomb threats -- CBS Baltimore",
      "url": "https://www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/news/morgan-state-university-on-lockdown-due-to-bomb-threat/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Bomb Threat: DSU vs Coppin State Basketball Game Rescheduled -- The Hornet Newspaper",
      "url": "https://thehornetonline.com/2022/02/02/bomb-threat-dsu-vs-coppin-state-basketball-game-rescheduled/",
      "type": "student-newspaper"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "medium",
  "tags": [
    "bomb-threat",
    "hbcu",
    "hbcu-bomb-wave-2022",
    "racially-motivated",
    "black-history-month",
    "coordinated-threat",
    "baltimore"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-04-04",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-07-16",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}