{
  "id": "2024-08-08-uc-berkeley-gunfire",
  "slug": "uc-berkeley-gunfire-2024-08-08",
  "institution": {
    "name": "University of California, Berkeley",
    "shortName": "UC Berkeley",
    "state": "CA",
    "type": "public-r1",
    "alertSystemName": "WarnMe",
    "enrollment": 45000
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2024-08-08",
    "type": "shooting",
    "cleryCategory": "emergency-notification",
    "resolution": "under-investigation",
    "headline": "Gunshots near the campus track prompt a lockdown and six-hour search; no suspect found",
    "headlinePublic": "Gunshots near the campus track prompt a lockdown and six-hour search; no suspect found",
    "summary": "On the morning of August 8, 2024, two shots were fired near [UC Berkeley's Clark Kerr Track](https://news.berkeley.edu/2024/08/08/reports-of-shots-fired-near-clark-kerr-and-hill-campus/) at approximately 7:40 AM PDT, triggering a campus lockdown and a [roughly six-hour multi-agency search](https://abc7news.com/post/gunshots-reported-uc-berkeley-campus-track-university-alert-says/15159723/) involving K-9 units and officers with long guns. The lockdown was lifted at approximately 1:40 PM PDT after police exhausted all search resources without locating the suspect.",
    "outcome": "No injuries were reported. The suspect, described as a white male with bleached hair and a red backpack, was never apprehended. The lockdown was lifted at approximately 1:40 PM PDT after an exhaustive search.",
    "casualties": {
      "killed": 0,
      "injured": 0
    }
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestamp": "2024-08-08T07:55:00-07:00",
      "channel": "email",
      "verbatimText": "",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": false,
      "sourceDescription": "Berkeley News and Daily Californian reporting",
      "annotations": []
    },
    {
      "sequence": 2,
      "type": "update",
      "timestamp": "2024-08-08T08:55:00-07:00",
      "channel": "email",
      "verbatimText": "If you cannot avoid the area of Clark Kerr Campus and Hillside Campus, lockdown or secure in place. It is not safe to be outside in the area of Clark Kerr Campus and Hillside Campus.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.berkeleyside.org/2024/08/08/cal-berkeley-clark-kerr-hillside-police-search",
      "sourceDescription": "Berkeleyside reporting which quoted the WarnMe alert verbatim",
      "annotations": [
        "Verbatim text confirmed via direct quotation in Berkeleyside reporting from the WarnMe alert issued shortly before 9 a.m. PDT on August 8, 2024",
        "This update was sent shortly before 9:00 AM PDT on August 8, 2024, escalating the response from an advisory to a lockdown order",
        "Multiple law enforcement agencies responded, including UCSF Police, Alameda County Sheriff, Contra Costa County Sheriff, and East Bay Regional Park District Police"
      ],
      "characterCount": 182
    },
    {
      "sequence": 3,
      "type": "all-clear",
      "timestamp": "2024-08-08T13:40:00-07:00",
      "channel": "email",
      "verbatimText": "UCPD and Campus Administration have determined that there is no longer a known threat to campus and normal operations can resume, but we advise community members in the area to continue to exercise caution.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.berkeleyside.org/2024/08/08/cal-berkeley-clark-kerr-hillside-police-search",
      "sourceDescription": "Berkeleyside reporting which quoted the final WarnMe alert verbatim",
      "annotations": [
        "Verbatim text confirmed via direct quotation in Berkeleyside reporting from the final WarnMe alert that lifted the lockdown",
        "The all-clear was issued at approximately 1:40 PM PDT on August 8, 2024, nearly six hours after the initial shots were reported",
        "Multiple police agencies conducted an exhaustive search but the suspect was not apprehended"
      ],
      "characterCount": 206
    }
  ],
  "context": "At approximately 7:40 AM PDT on August 8, 2024, UC Berkeley police responded to [reports of two shots fired near Clark Kerr Track](https://news.berkeley.edu/2024/08/08/reports-of-shots-fired-near-clark-kerr-and-hill-campus/) on the eastern edge of campus. The campus ShotSpotter system detected the gunfire. A WarnMe alert was distributed shortly before 8:00 AM PDT, and the [UC Berkeley Emergency Operations Center was activated](https://www.berkeleyside.org/2024/08/08/cal-berkeley-clark-kerr-hillside-police-search). By 9:00 AM PDT, the university escalated the warning to a lockdown order for anyone in the Clark Kerr and Hillside Campus areas. The [search expanded to Panoramic Way](https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2024/08/09/uc-berkeley-crime/uc-berkeley-clark-kerr-gunfire-lockdown/) as multiple law enforcement agencies, including UCSF Police, Alameda County Sheriff's Office, Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office, and East Bay Regional Park District Police, joined the manhunt with K-9 units and officers with long guns. The suspect was described by witnesses as a white male wearing a black shirt, black pants, and a red backpack, with bleached hair showing possible red or orange highlights. Cal football [postponed its Thursday practice](https://www.si.com/college/cal/football/cal-football-practice-postponed-after-campus-shooting-incident-01j4sg46mhdv) due to the lockdown. After nearly six hours, police concluded the search at approximately 1:40 PM PDT without locating the suspect.",
  "keyFindings": [
    "The campus ShotSpotter system enabled rapid detection of gunfire, and the first WarnMe alert was distributed within approximately 15 minutes",
    "The search lasted nearly six hours and involved at least five law enforcement agencies, but the suspect was never apprehended",
    "Cal football postponed its Thursday practice due to the lockdown affecting the Clark Kerr area"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "Reports of shots fired near Clark Kerr Track and Hill Campus (Berkeley News)",
      "url": "https://news.berkeley.edu/2024/08/08/reports-of-shots-fired-near-clark-kerr-and-hill-campus/",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "Reported gunfire at UC Berkeley: Police search Clark Kerr, Hillside campuses (Berkeleyside)",
      "url": "https://www.berkeleyside.org/2024/08/08/cal-berkeley-clark-kerr-hillside-police-search",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Shots fired near UC Berkeley Clark Kerr Campus (Daily Californian)",
      "url": "https://www.dailycal.org/news/city/crime-and-safety/shots-fired-near-uc-berkeley-clark-kerr-campus/article_f435b7b2-55a2-11ef-a433-07732a14bd8e.html",
      "type": "student-newspaper"
    },
    {
      "title": "Gunfire prompts lockdown near UC Berkeley Clark Kerr Campus (Berkeley Scanner)",
      "url": "https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2024/08/09/uc-berkeley-crime/uc-berkeley-clark-kerr-gunfire-lockdown/",
      "type": "local-media"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "medium",
  "tags": [
    "shooting",
    "california",
    "manhunt",
    "lockdown",
    "clark-kerr",
    "multi-agency-response",
    "shotspotter",
    "suspect-at-large"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-05-03",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-07-16",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}