{
  "id": "2023-11-07-mohawk-valley-community-college-active-threat-lockdown",
  "slug": "mohawk-valley-community-college-active-threat-lockdown-2023-11-07",
  "institution": {
    "name": "Mohawk Valley Community College",
    "shortName": "MVCC",
    "state": "NY",
    "type": "community-college",
    "alertSystemName": "MVCC Emergency Notification"
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2023-11-07",
    "type": "armed-person",
    "cleryCategory": "emergency-notification",
    "headline": "Report of a person with a weapon in the residence halls prompts a three-hour lockdown",
    "headlinePublic": "Report of a person with a weapon in the residence halls prompts a three-hour lockdown",
    "summary": "Mohawk Valley Community College's Utica campus was locked down on the morning of Tuesday, November 7, 2023 after a [911 call around 8:33 a.m. EST from the residence halls reported a person with a weapon, possibly a gun](https://www.wrvo.org/safety-crime/2023-11-07/active-threat-reported-at-mvcc-utica-prompts-lockdown). The college's emergency notification declared an 'ACTIVE THREAT' and ordered a lockdown. After a [comprehensive search of all dormitories, Utica police lifted the lockdown around 11:30 a.m. EST and found no evidence to substantiate the report](https://www.romesentinel.com/news/update-mvcc-threat-utica-police/article_32a95c26-7e42-11ee-bf46-b7ad6f9f0e73.html).",
    "outcome": "Police found no weapon, no shooter, and ultimately said they were not certain anyone with a weapon had even been on campus. The lockdown was lifted around 11:30 a.m. EST with no injuries.",
    "resolution": "unfounded"
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestamp": "2023-11-07T08:45:00-05:00",
      "channel": "sms",
      "verbatimText": "Mohawk Valley Community College Emergency Alert: MVCC EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION - An ACTIVE THREAT has been reported for the Utica campus. FIND A SECURE LOCATION, lock doors, silence cell phones, and await further information. LOCKDOWN and await further updates. Further instructions to follow.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.wktv.com/news/local/updated-lockdown-order-at-mvcc-utica-lifted-after-report-of-individual-with-a-weapon-in/article_c636f994-7d7a-11ee-9453-d76513646ff2.html",
      "sourceDescription": "WKTV and multiple New York media outlets quoted this verbatim MVCC emergency notification text sent at 8:45 AM EST on November 7, 2023",
      "annotations": [
        "Verbatim from WKTV, LITE 987, and Rome Sentinel reporting, all quoted this text identically as the initial MVCC Emergency Notification sent at 8:45 a.m. EST on November 7, 2023.",
        "The underlying 911 call came in about 8:33 a.m. EST from the Butterfield Residence Hall, roughly 12 minutes before the first text.",
        "Eastern Standard Time applies; the incident was after the November 2023 fall-back DST change. A second text was also sent during the lockdown stating 'MVCC Utica Campus: lockdown immediately. This is not a drill. Barricade yourself in classrooms or offices immediately.', likely a separate push to a broader list."
      ],
      "characterCount": 291
    },
    {
      "sequence": 2,
      "type": "all-clear",
      "timestampApprox": "Approximately 11:40 AM EST on November 7, 2023",
      "channel": "unknown",
      "verbatimText": "At this time, MVCC would like to assure the community that the Utica campus is secure, and there is no ongoing threat.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.wktv.com/news/local/updated-lockdown-order-at-mvcc-utica-lifted-after-report-of-individual-with-a-weapon-in/article_c636f994-7d7a-11ee-9453-d76513646ff2.html",
      "sourceDescription": "WKTV NewsChannel 2, CNY Central, and Rome Sentinel each quoted this MVCC lockdown-lifted statement verbatim and identically",
      "annotations": [
        "Verbatim assurance message MVCC issued when the lockdown was lifted around 11:40 a.m. EST on November 7, 2023, quoted identically by WKTV, CNY Central, and the Rome Sentinel.",
        "This is a genuine all-clear: it declares the Utica campus secure with no ongoing threat after police searched every building and found no evidence to substantiate the report.",
        "The lockdown had ended by approximately 11:30 a.m. EST after the comprehensive search; the formal assurance statement followed at roughly 11:40 a.m. EST."
      ],
      "characterCount": 118
    }
  ],
  "context": "Mohawk Valley Community College's Utica campus includes the Butterfield Residence Hall, the source of the report. According to [WRVO Public Media](https://www.wrvo.org/safety-crime/2023-11-07/active-threat-reported-at-mvcc-utica-prompts-lockdown), a 'menacing in progress' was called in around 8:33 a.m. EST on Tuesday, November 7, 2023, indicating an individual with a weapon in the residence halls. [WKTV](https://www.wktv.com/news/local/updated-lockdown-order-at-mvcc-utica-lifted-after-report-of-individual-with-a-weapon-in/article_c636f994-7d7a-11ee-9453-d76513646ff2.html) reported the first text to the campus community went out at 8:45 a.m. EST declaring an 'ACTIVE THREAT' and ordering a lockdown, which lasted until about 11:30 a.m. EST. The [Rome Sentinel](https://www.romesentinel.com/news/update-mvcc-threat-utica-police/article_32a95c26-7e42-11ee-bf46-b7ad6f9f0e73.html) reported that after a large-scale law-enforcement response and a search of all dormitories, Utica police believed there was most likely no one on campus with a weapon at all, saying 'we're not certain an individual was even there.' The case shows how a single uncorroborated 'man with a gun' report from a dorm can lock down a campus for hours.",
  "keyFindings": [
    "The first campus-wide text went out roughly 12 minutes after the originating 911 call (8:33 a.m. EST to 8:45 a.m. EST)",
    "Police conducted a comprehensive search of every dormitory before lifting the lockdown around 11:30 a.m. EST",
    "Investigators concluded there was likely no armed individual present at all, a reminder that uncorroborated reports can drive multi-hour lockdowns"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "Lockdown lifted at MVCC Utica campus - WRVO Public Media",
      "url": "https://www.wrvo.org/safety-crime/2023-11-07/active-threat-reported-at-mvcc-utica-prompts-lockdown",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "UPDATED: Lockdown Order at MVCC Utica Lifted After Report of 'Individual With a Weapon in the Residence Halls' - WKTV",
      "url": "https://www.wktv.com/news/local/updated-lockdown-order-at-mvcc-utica-lifted-after-report-of-individual-with-a-weapon-in/article_c636f994-7d7a-11ee-9453-d76513646ff2.html",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "No shooter, no weapon at MVCC, police say - Rome Sentinel",
      "url": "https://www.romesentinel.com/news/update-mvcc-threat-utica-police/article_32a95c26-7e42-11ee-bf46-b7ad6f9f0e73.html",
      "type": "local-media"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "medium",
  "tags": [
    "weapons-violation",
    "emergency-notification",
    "new-york",
    "community-college",
    "suny",
    "lockdown",
    "active-threat",
    "residence-hall",
    "unfounded"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-05-29",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-07-16",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}