{
  "id": "2024-02-09-uc-berkeley-shooting",
  "slug": "uc-berkeley-shooting-2024-02-09",
  "institution": {
    "name": "University of California, Berkeley",
    "shortName": "UC Berkeley",
    "state": "CA",
    "type": "public-r1",
    "alertSystemName": "WarnMe",
    "enrollment": 45000
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2024-02-09",
    "type": "shooting",
    "cleryCategory": "emergency-notification",
    "resolution": "confirmed-threat",
    "headline": "Man fired nine shots into the air at a plaza dance practice; detained in minutes",
    "headlinePublic": "Man fired nine shots into the air at a plaza dance practice; detained in minutes",
    "summary": "On the evening of February 9, 2024, police said a 59-year-old man [fired nine shots into the air at Lower Sproul Plaza](https://www.dailycal.org/news/campus/from-shots-fired-to-all-clear-a-timeline-of-the-shooting-at-lower-sproul-plaza/article_e6273f72-c873-11ee-9251-03d9116c8137.html) during a student dance practice, shattering a window in Eshleman Hall. The suspect was detained within roughly two minutes by officers already en route, but the [first WarnMe alert did not arrive for 40 minutes](https://www.berkeleyside.org/2024/02/10/1-arrested-shooting-cal), drawing criticism of the campus notification system from students.",
    "outcome": "The suspect, later identified as 59-year-old Virgil Hampton, was arrested and placed on a psychiatric hold. The Alameda County District Attorney charged him with discharging a firearm with gross negligence, having a loaded firearm on a college campus, and carrying a loaded firearm in a vehicle. No injuries were reported. The shelter-in-place was lifted at 9:51 PM PST.",
    "casualties": {
      "killed": 0,
      "injured": 0
    }
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestamp": "2024-02-09T21:20:00-08:00",
      "channel": "email",
      "verbatimText": "An aggravated assault occurred at Lower Sproul Plaza. There is police activity in Lower Sproul Plaza. Avoid the area.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.dailycal.org/news/campus/suspect-arrested-after-shots-fired-at-lower-sproul-plaza-shelter-in-place-lifted/article_6d1ac59c-c7d1-11ee-9938-8384a25a1b81.html",
      "sourceDescription": "Daily Californian (quoted verbatim)",
      "annotations": [
        "The first WarnMe email arrived at 9:20 PM PST on February 9, 2024, approximately 40 minutes after the shots were fired at 8:40 PM PST",
        "The alert characterized the shooting as an 'aggravated assault' and did not mention a firearm, shots fired, or a shelter-in-place order",
        "Students criticized the delay and vagueness as dangerous, noting that without clear official communication, rumors of multiple active shooters circulated on social media"
      ],
      "characterCount": 117
    },
    {
      "sequence": 2,
      "type": "all-clear",
      "timestamp": "2024-02-09T21:51:00-08:00",
      "channel": "email",
      "verbatimText": "",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": false,
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.dailycal.org/news/campus/suspect-arrested-after-shots-fired-at-lower-sproul-plaza-shelter-in-place-lifted/article_6d1ac59c-c7d1-11ee-9938-8384a25a1b81.html",
      "sourceDescription": "Reconstructed from Daily Californian timeline (exact wording not published)",
      "annotations": []
    }
  ],
  "context": "On the evening of February 9, 2024, a 59-year-old man unaffiliated with UC Berkeley arrived on a motorcycle at an [AFX Dance practice in a tent at Lower Sproul Plaza](https://www.dailycal.org/news/campus/from-shots-fired-to-all-clear-a-timeline-of-the-shooting-at-lower-sproul-plaza/article_e6273f72-c873-11ee-9251-03d9116c8137.html). He demanded that students turn down the music and give him a phone charger. When they refused, witnesses said, he produced a handgun and fired multiple shots into the air at approximately 8:40 PM PST. A bullet shattered a window in nearby [Eshleman Hall](https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2024/02/10/uc-berkeley-crime/uc-berkeley-shooting-suspect-arrested-no-one-hurt/). Officers already responding to the altercation detained the suspect within roughly two minutes of the gunfire and recovered his firearm at the scene. Students witnessed police handcuffing an individual at the Bancroft Way entrance to Lower Sproul around 8:50 PM PST. Thousands of patrons attending a Renée Fleming performance at nearby Zellerbach Hall were also required to shelter in place during the response. However, the [first WarnMe email did not arrive until 9:20 PM PST](https://www.berkeleyside.org/2024/02/10/1-arrested-shooting-cal), 40 minutes after the shooting, describing the incident as an aggravated assault. In the absence of official information, rumors of multiple active shooters spread on social media. The suspect, later identified as [Virgil Hampton, 59, was arraigned on February 27](https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2024/02/27/uc-berkeley-crime/uc-berkeley-shooter-virgil-hampton-arraignment/) on charges including discharging a firearm with gross negligence, having a loaded firearm on campus, and carrying a loaded firearm in a vehicle.",
  "keyFindings": [
    "Police detained the suspect within roughly two minutes of shots being fired, but the first WarnMe alert did not reach students for 40 minutes",
    "Rumors of multiple active shooters circulated on social media before the first official message arrived",
    "The suspect was unaffiliated with the university and, per witness accounts, approached a student dance practice demanding a phone charger before opening fire"
  ],
  "responseTimeMinutes": 40,
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "From shots fired to all clear: A timeline of the shooting at Lower Sproul Plaza (Daily Californian)",
      "url": "https://www.dailycal.org/news/campus/from-shots-fired-to-all-clear-a-timeline-of-the-shooting-at-lower-sproul-plaza/article_e6273f72-c873-11ee-9251-03d9116c8137.html",
      "type": "student-newspaper"
    },
    {
      "title": "UC Berkeley shooting: 1 arrested, none hurt in Lower Sproul Plaza (Berkeleyside)",
      "url": "https://www.berkeleyside.org/2024/02/10/1-arrested-shooting-cal",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Police: Campus incident ends with one arrest, no injuries (Berkeley News)",
      "url": "https://news.berkeley.edu/2024/02/09/campus-incident-ends-with-one-arrest-no-injuries-police-say/",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "Panic on the campus: New details on UC Berkeley shooting (Berkeley Scanner)",
      "url": "https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2024/02/27/uc-berkeley-crime/uc-berkeley-shooter-virgil-hampton-arraignment/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Daily Californian (quoted verbatim)",
      "url": "https://www.dailycal.org/news/campus/suspect-arrested-after-shots-fired-at-lower-sproul-plaza-shelter-in-place-lifted/article_6d1ac59c-c7d1-11ee-9938-8384a25a1b81.html",
      "type": "student-newspaper"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "medium",
  "tags": [
    "shooting",
    "california",
    "notification-delay",
    "non-affiliated",
    "dance-practice",
    "lower-sproul",
    "psychiatric-hold"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-05-03",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-07-16",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}