{
  "id": "2022-05-09-everett-community-college-email-threat-lockdown",
  "slug": "everett-community-college-email-threat-lockdown-2022-05-09",
  "institution": {
    "name": "Everett Community College",
    "shortName": "EvCC",
    "state": "WA",
    "type": "community-college",
    "enrollment": 19000
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2022-05-09",
    "type": "threat-of-violence",
    "cleryCategory": "emergency-notification",
    "headline": "Emailed threat citing explosives and firearms prompts 'Not a drill' lockdown",
    "headlinePublic": "Emailed threat citing explosives and firearms prompts 'Not a drill' lockdown",
    "summary": "On the morning of May 9, 2022, Everett Community College in Washington [went into lockdown after a threatening email](https://www.heraldnet.com/news/threat-sends-everett-community-college-into-lockdown/) referencing explosives and firearms was discovered, with a 7:33 a.m. PDT alert stating 'Not a drill.' [Skagit Valley College locked down its campuses around the same time](https://www.cascadiadaily.com/2022/may/09/skagit-valley-college-in-lockdown-after-receiving-threat/) over a related email. Police found no credible threat, and EvCC lifted its lockdown by 8:58 a.m. PDT but stayed closed for the day.",
    "outcome": "Everett police and other agencies swept the campuses and concluded there was no credible threat. EvCC lifted its lockdown at 8:58 a.m. and announced a full-day closure at 9:39 a.m. Several area colleges had received similar emails the prior Friday.",
    "resolution": "unfounded"
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestamp": "2022-05-09T07:33:00-07:00",
      "channel": "twitter-x",
      "verbatimText": "EvCC's lockdown has ended, but EvCC's campus remains closed. In-person classes and services classes canceled for May 9. WSU Everett open. Info: http://EverettCC.edu",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://x.com/EverettCC/status/1523693796680101888",
      "sourceDescription": "@EverettCC on X (verbatim raw t.co)",
      "annotations": [
        "My Everett News quoted the 7:33 a.m. PDT alert verbatim: the main campus was in lockdown due to a threat to campus, with the staccato 'Not a drill. Lock doors. Seek shelter. Avoid being seen or heard.' instructions.",
        "The threatening email had been sent around 8 p.m. Sunday, May 8, and was discovered by staff Monday morning, creating an overnight delay between threat and alert.",
        "The 'avoid being seen or heard' instruction mirrors standardized Run-Hide-Fight lockdown guidance."
      ],
      "characterCount": 164,
      "confidence": "high"
    },
    {
      "sequence": 2,
      "type": "all-clear",
      "timestamp": "2022-05-09T08:58:04-07:00",
      "channel": "twitter-x",
      "verbatimText": "EvCC's lockdown has ended, but EvCC's campus remains closed. In-person classes and services classes canceled for May 9. WSU Everett open. Info: http://EverettCC.edu",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceDescription": "@EverettCC on X (verbatim lockdown ended)",
      "annotations": [
        "HeraldNet reported that at 8:58 a.m. PDT EvCC tweeted the lockdown had been lifted but that in-person classes and services were canceled for the rest of the day.",
        "This is a genuine all-clear because it lifts the lockdown, though the campus closure continued for operational reasons after the threat was cleared.",
        "A follow-up tweet at 9:39 a.m. PDT confirmed all campuses and centers would be closed for the remainder of Monday."
      ],
      "characterCount": 164,
      "sourceUrl": "https://x.com/EverettCC/status/1523693796680101888"
    }
  ],
  "context": "Everett Community College in Snohomish County, Washington, locked down its main campus on the morning of May 9, 2022 after staff discovered a [threatening email sent the prior evening that referenced explosives and firearms](https://www.cascadiadaily.com/2022/may/09/skagit-valley-college-in-lockdown-after-receiving-threat/) and included racist language. EvCC's [7:33 a.m. PDT alert told the campus it was 'Not a drill'](https://www.heraldnet.com/news/threat-sends-everett-community-college-into-lockdown/) and to lock doors, seek shelter, and avoid being seen or heard. [Skagit Valley College locked down all its campuses around the same time](https://komonews.com/news/local/everett-community-college-campus-on-lockdown-due-to-threat) over a related threat, and [several area colleges had received similar emails the previous Friday](https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2022/05/11/2-community-colleges-cancel-classes-after-threats). Police found no credible threat; EvCC lifted its lockdown at 8:58 a.m. PDT and closed for the day. The episode shows a coordinated multi-college threat wave and the lag created when a threat arrives overnight and is only seen the next morning.",
  "keyFindings": [
    "EvCC sent a 7:33 a.m. PDT lockdown alert on May 9, 2022 stating 'Not a drill' after an overnight threatening email referencing explosives and firearms was discovered",
    "Skagit Valley College locked down its campuses around the same time over a related threat, part of a wave that hit several area colleges",
    "EvCC lifted the lockdown at 8:58 a.m. PDT on May 9, 2022 but kept the campus closed for the day, confirmed by a 9:39 a.m. PDT follow-up",
    "The case highlights the overnight-threat lag problem: the email was sent Sunday evening but only seen and acted on Monday morning"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "'Threat' sends Everett Community College into lockdown - HeraldNet",
      "url": "https://www.heraldnet.com/news/threat-sends-everett-community-college-into-lockdown/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Online Threat Forces Closure Of Everett Community College Campus - My Everett News",
      "url": "https://myeverettnews.com/2022/05/09/online-threat-forces-closure-of-everett-community-college-campus/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "UPDATE: Skagit Valley College, others in region received email threat prior to lockdown - Cascadia Daily News",
      "url": "https://www.cascadiadaily.com/2022/may/09/skagit-valley-college-in-lockdown-after-receiving-threat/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "'Not a drill:' Threat spurs lockdown at Everett Community College, Skagit Valley College - KOMO News",
      "url": "https://komonews.com/news/local/everett-community-college-campus-on-lockdown-due-to-threat",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "2 Community Colleges Cancel Classes After Threats - Inside Higher Ed",
      "url": "https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2022/05/11/2-community-colleges-cancel-classes-after-threats",
      "type": "other"
    },
    {
      "type": "official-social",
      "title": "@EverettCC on X (verbatim lockdown ended)",
      "url": "https://x.com/EverettCC/status/1523693796680101888",
      "accessedDate": "2026-07-18"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "medium",
  "tags": [
    "threat-of-violence",
    "lockdown",
    "community-college",
    "washington",
    "everett",
    "emailed-threat",
    "not-a-drill",
    "unfounded",
    "emergency-notification"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-05-28",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-07-18",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}