{
  "id": "2022-02-01-harris-stowe-state-university-bomb-threat",
  "slug": "harris-stowe-state-university-bomb-threat-2022-02-01",
  "institution": {
    "name": "Harris-Stowe State University",
    "shortName": "HSSU",
    "state": "MO",
    "type": "hbcu",
    "enrollment": 1500,
    "alertSystemName": "Harris-Stowe RAVE Alert"
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2022-02-01",
    "type": "bomb-threat",
    "cleryCategory": "emergency-notification",
    "resolution": "confirmed-hoax",
    "headline": "Campus closed by a bomb threat amid the nationwide wave targeting HBCUs; no bombs found",
    "headlinePublic": "Campus closed by a bomb threat amid the nationwide wave targeting HBCUs; no bombs found",
    "summary": "On February 1, 2022, the first day of Black History Month, [Harris-Stowe State University shut down](https://www.stlpr.org/education/2022-02-01/harris-stowe-state-university-shuts-down-campus-following-bomb-threats-to-it-and-other-hbcus) after receiving a bomb threat as part of a nationwide campaign targeting HBCUs. The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and [FBI investigated and checked all campus buildings](https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-courts/harris-stowe-state-university-in-st-louis-latest-hbcu-to-receive-bomb-threat/article_b93579b5-acf0-5e98-bec6-0871fe77dddb.html). Campus was closed by 10:00 AM CST and reopened hours later. No bombs were found.",
    "outcome": "No bombs were found. Campus reopened the same day, though all campus activities were cancelled for the remainder of the day."
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestampApprox": "Morning of February 1, 2022, before 10:00 AM CST",
      "channel": "website",
      "verbatimText": "This morning, Harris-Stowe State University received notice of a bomb threat. Campus safety, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI were contacted and are investigating. Out of an abundance of caution, law enforcement officials continue to check all campus facilities. At this time, the campus, including the William L. Clay Early Childhood Education Center and HSSU Impact Education Center, are closed. Classes and university operations, including the dining hall, are suspended until further notice.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "http://www.hssu.edu/rsp_content.cfm?wID=58&pID=2459",
      "sourceDescription": "Harris-Stowe State University Department of Public Safety notice posted on the HSSU website (hssu.edu) with campus-closure instructions for the community; also quoted verbatim by STLPR and the St. Louis American",
      "annotations": [
        "Verbatim HSSU Department of Public Safety statement issued the morning of February 1, 2022; the exact wording is corroborated across the official HSSU site, STLPR, and the St. Louis American",
        "Names two specific affiliated facilities being closed alongside the main campus: the William L. Clay Early Childhood Education Center and the HSSU Impact Education Center",
        "Both SLMPD and the FBI were called in to investigate and check all campus buildings"
      ],
      "characterCount": 519
    },
    {
      "sequence": 2,
      "type": "all-clear",
      "timestampApprox": "Afternoon of February 1, 2022",
      "channel": "website",
      "verbatimText": "The Harris-Stowe State University Department of Public Safety (DPS), in conjunction with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI, has completed its investigation of the bomb threat that HSSU received earlier this morning. HSSU DPS, and local and state law enforcement agencies searched all campus facilities and have issued an all-clear. It is safe to return to campus. Classes will be held remotely for the remainder of today, February 1, 2022 and employees will work remotely. All campus activities are cancelled.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "http://www.hssu.edu/rsp_content.cfm?wID=58&pID=2459",
      "sourceDescription": "Harris-Stowe State University Department of Public Safety all-clear notice posted on the HSSU website (hssu.edu), telling the community it was safe to return; also quoted verbatim by STLPR and the St. Louis American",
      "annotations": [
        "Verbatim HSSU DPS all-clear statement; specifies that classes would be held remotely for the rest of February 1, 2022 even after the campus was declared safe",
        "Despite the all-clear, all campus activities were cancelled for the rest of the day"
      ],
      "characterCount": 532
    }
  ],
  "context": "On February 1, 2022, the first day of Black History Month, [Harris-Stowe State University shut down its campus](https://www.stlpr.org/education/2022-02-01/harris-stowe-state-university-shuts-down-campus-following-bomb-threats-to-it-and-other-hbcus) after receiving a bomb threat. [KCUR reported](https://www.kcur.org/education/2022-02-01/harris-stowe-state-university-shuts-down-campus-following-bomb-threats-to-hbcus) that the threat was part of a nationwide wave targeting HBCUs, with multiple institutions affected the same day including Philander Smith College and Arkansas Baptist College in Little Rock. The [St. Louis Metropolitan Police and FBI](https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-courts/harris-stowe-state-university-in-st-louis-latest-hbcu-to-receive-bomb-threat/article_b93579b5-acf0-5e98-bec6-0871fe77dddb.html) investigated and checked all campus buildings. Campus was closed by 10:00 AM CST and reopened hours later with no bombs found, though activities were cancelled for the day. [The St. Louis American](https://www.stlamerican.com/news/local-news/harris-stowe-state-university-declared-safe-following-bomb-threat/) covered the all-clear announcement. The FBI later determined that most of the 2022 HBCU bomb threats were likely made by a single juvenile.",
  "keyFindings": [
    "The February 1 timing (first day of Black History Month) was deliberate and symbolic, adding a layer of targeted intimidation",
    "Harris-Stowe is one of the smallest HBCUs (enrollment ~1,500), meaning the threat affected a proportionally larger share of the community",
    "The FBI later attributed the nationwide HBCU bomb threat campaign to a single juvenile suspect"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "Harris-Stowe State University Statement: Receives Bomb Threat, Campus Operations Suspended Until Further Notice (HSSU Department of Public Safety)",
      "url": "http://www.hssu.edu/rsp_content.cfm?wID=58&pID=2459",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "Harris-Stowe shuts down campus following bomb threats (STLPR)",
      "url": "https://www.stlpr.org/education/2022-02-01/harris-stowe-state-university-shuts-down-campus-following-bomb-threats-to-it-and-other-hbcus",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Harris-Stowe shuts down campus (KCUR)",
      "url": "https://www.kcur.org/education/2022-02-01/harris-stowe-state-university-shuts-down-campus-following-bomb-threats-to-hbcus",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Harris-Stowe latest HBCU to receive bomb threat (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)",
      "url": "https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-courts/harris-stowe-state-university-in-st-louis-latest-hbcu-to-receive-bomb-threat/article_b93579b5-acf0-5e98-bec6-0871fe77dddb.html",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Harris-Stowe declared safe following bomb threat (St. Louis American)",
      "url": "https://www.stlamerican.com/news/local-news/harris-stowe-state-university-declared-safe-following-bomb-threat/",
      "type": "local-media"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "high",
  "tags": [
    "bomb-threat",
    "hbcu",
    "missouri",
    "black-history-month",
    "2022-hbcu-wave",
    "fbi-investigation",
    "coordinated-attack"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-04-04",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-07-16",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}