{
  "id": "2022-10-05-idaho-state-university-armed-person",
  "slug": "idaho-state-university-armed-person-2022-10-05",
  "institution": {
    "name": "Idaho State University",
    "shortName": "ISU",
    "state": "ID",
    "type": "public-r2",
    "alertSystemName": "ISU Alert",
    "enrollment": 12500
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2022-10-05",
    "type": "armed-person",
    "cleryCategory": "emergency-notification",
    "headline": "Reported woman with a rifle near a campus complex; police found no evidence",
    "headlinePublic": "Reported woman with a rifle near a campus complex; police found no evidence",
    "summary": "On the afternoon of October 5, 2022, [Idaho State University in Pocatello](https://www.idahostatejournal.com/freeaccess/pocatello-police-find-no-evidence-of-threat-after-report-of-woman-with-gun-on-isu/article_bef172b0-48f4-11ed-820d-2b8e12173ed0.html) issued an ISU Alert at 4:36 PM MDT after a witness reported seeing a woman carrying what appeared to be a rifle and ammunition near the Owen-Redfield Complex, adjacent to the Rendezvous Complex on campus. The Pocatello Police Department [responded, interviewed the witness, and found no evidence to substantiate the report](https://www.eastidahonews.com/2022/10/police-determine-no-threat-after-report-of-woman-with-a-gun-at-isu/). ISU sent a follow-up alert lifting the order after the investigation concluded.",
    "outcome": "Pocatello Police interviewed the witness and conducted an extensive search of the Owen-Redfield Complex and surrounding areas but found no evidence of a person with a rifle. Police determined the report was unfounded. ISU sent a follow-up alert and normal operations resumed in the affected area. No arrests were made and no charges were filed.",
    "resolution": "unfounded",
    "casualties": {
      "killed": 0,
      "injured": 0
    }
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestamp": "2022-10-05T16:36:00-06:00",
      "channel": "sms",
      "verbatimText": "",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": false,
      "sourceDescription": "Reconstructed from Idaho State Journal and East Idaho News reporting on the ISU Alert sent at 4:36 PM MDT",
      "annotations": []
    },
    {
      "sequence": 2,
      "type": "all-clear",
      "timestampApprox": "Approximately 6:00 PM MDT on October 5, 2022, after Pocatello Police completed their investigation",
      "channel": "sms",
      "verbatimText": "Law enforcement has concluded their investigation and confirmed that there is no threat to the campus.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.eastidahonews.com/2022/10/police-determine-no-threat-after-report-of-woman-with-a-gun-at-isu/",
      "sourceDescription": "East Idaho News quoting the verbatim ISU Alert follow-up message after Pocatello Police completed their investigation",
      "annotations": [
        "Verbatim sentence quoted by East Idaho News from the ISU Alert follow-up message; the news outlet attributed the language directly to the alert ('a follow up alert stating that...')",
        "Issued approximately 90 minutes after the initial alert",
        "Pocatello Police interviewed the witness and conducted a search of the Owen-Redfield Complex without locating a person with a rifle",
        "The institution chose not to characterize the report publicly as a misidentification or hoax, leaving the resolution as 'unfounded'"
      ],
      "characterCount": 102
    }
  ],
  "context": "[Idaho State University](https://www.isu.edu/) is the state's R2 doctoral institution serving approximately 12,500 students in Pocatello, located in southeastern Idaho. ISU operates an [ISU Alert emergency notification system](https://www.isu.edu/publicsafety/safety-and-security/isu-alerts/) administered through Rave Mobile Safety. On the afternoon of October 5, 2022, a witness reported seeing a woman carrying what appeared to be a rifle and ammunition near the [Owen-Redfield Complex](https://www.idahostatejournal.com/freeaccess/pocatello-police-find-no-evidence-of-threat-after-report-of-woman-with-gun-on-isu/article_bef172b0-48f4-11ed-820d-2b8e12173ed0.html), adjacent to the Rendezvous Complex on the main Pocatello campus. ISU issued an ISU Alert at 4:36 PM MDT directing community members to avoid the area. The Pocatello Police Department responded, interviewed the witness, and conducted a thorough search but [found no evidence to substantiate the report](https://www.eastidahonews.com/2022/10/police-determine-no-threat-after-report-of-woman-with-a-gun-at-isu/). ISU sent a follow-up alert lifting the order after the investigation concluded. The case is significant for the campus alert archive because it documents an unfounded armed-person report at a Mountain West public university (a category often underreported in the literature compared to active-shooter or swatting incidents) and it preserves the timestamp (4:36 PM MDT) of the initial alert.",
  "keyFindings": [
    "The initial ISU Alert was sent at 4:36 PM MDT, peak afternoon class-change time on the Pocatello campus",
    "Pocatello Police interviewed the witness directly before declaring the report unfounded",
    "Total response cycle from initial alert to all-clear was approximately 90 minutes",
    "ISU did not characterize the report as a misidentification or hoax, leaving the resolution as 'unfounded' in the archive",
    "The Owen-Redfield Complex location places the report on the academic core of the Pocatello campus rather than its periphery"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "Pocatello police find no evidence of threat after report of woman with gun on ISU campus - Idaho State Journal",
      "url": "https://www.idahostatejournal.com/freeaccess/pocatello-police-find-no-evidence-of-threat-after-report-of-woman-with-gun-on-isu/article_bef172b0-48f4-11ed-820d-2b8e12173ed0.html",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Police determine no threat after report of woman with a gun at ISU - East Idaho News",
      "url": "https://www.eastidahonews.com/2022/10/police-determine-no-threat-after-report-of-woman-with-a-gun-at-isu/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "ISU Alerts - Idaho State University",
      "url": "https://www.isu.edu/publicsafety/safety-and-security/isu-alerts/",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "Active Shooter on Campus - Idaho State University",
      "url": "https://www.isu.edu/publicsafety/emergency-management/emergency-procedures/active-shooter-on-campus/",
      "type": "official-archive"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "medium",
  "tags": [
    "armed-person",
    "idaho",
    "isu",
    "pocatello",
    "owen-redfield-complex",
    "unfounded",
    "witness-misidentification",
    "mountain-west",
    "rendezvous-complex"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-05-03",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-07-16",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}