{
  "id": "2023-09-13-unc-hospitals-alpine-bagel-armed-person-lockdown",
  "slug": "unc-hospitals-alpine-bagel-armed-person-lockdown-2023-09-13",
  "institution": {
    "name": "University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC Hospitals)",
    "shortName": "UNC Health",
    "state": "NC",
    "type": "public-r1",
    "alertSystemName": "Alert Carolina"
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2023-09-13",
    "type": "armed-person",
    "cleryCategory": "emergency-notification",
    "headline": "Man brandishes a gun in the student union; suspect arrested after all-clear",
    "headlinePublic": "Man brandishes a gun in the student union; suspect arrested after all-clear",
    "summary": "On September 13, 2023 (barely two weeks after a fatal faculty shooting) a man brandished a gun at the [Alpine Bagel counter in UNC-Chapel Hill's Frank Porter Graham Student Union](https://www.unc.edu/posts/2023/09/14/armed-suspect-causes-second-lockdown/) and fled in a vehicle. UNC activated Alert Carolina for a campus-wide shelter-in-place at 12:54 p.m. EDT, and the adjacent UNC Hospitals locked down alongside campus until the suspect was confirmed off campus.",
    "outcome": "No injuries. Police gave an all clear at 2:10 p.m. EDT after determining the suspect had left campus, and Chapel Hill Police arrested Mickel Deonte Harris, 27, around 2:45 p.m. EDT on outstanding warrants. UNC Hospitals resumed normal operations later that afternoon.",
    "resolution": "confirmed-threat",
    "casualties": {
      "killed": 0,
      "injured": 0
    }
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "update",
      "timestamp": "2023-09-13T12:54:00-04:00",
      "channel": "sms",
      "verbatimText": "!Alert Carolina! Emergency-Update: Reports of an armed & dangerous person on/near campus. Continue to shelter in place and check alertcarolina.unc.edu for info",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://alertcarolina.unc.edu/notifications/2023/09/13/16946276660001375997344/",
      "sourceDescription": "Alert Carolina Notification Archive (SMS text)",
      "annotations": [
        "Verbatim from the official Alert Carolina notification archive, whose post title is the exact alert string pushed during the shelter-in-place; the system sent this 'Emergency-Update' after the initial siren activation at 12:54 p.m. EDT on September 13, 2023.",
        "The leading and trailing exclamation marks ('!Alert Carolina!') and the ampersand abbreviation '&' are preserved exactly as published by UNC."
      ],
      "characterCount": 159
    },
    {
      "sequence": 2,
      "type": "all-clear",
      "timestamp": "2023-09-13T14:13:00-04:00",
      "channel": "sms",
      "verbatimText": "UNC issues All Clear",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://alertcarolina.unc.edu/notifications/2023/09/13/16946288340001376071649/",
      "sourceDescription": "Alert Carolina Notification Archive",
      "annotations": [
        "Corrected 2026-07-19: prior confirmed text was X-style all-clear not present at the cited Alert Carolina archive URL; verbatim now matches the official page body exactly ('UNC issues All Clear')."
      ],
      "characterCount": 20
    },
    {
      "sequence": 3,
      "type": "initial",
      "channel": "sms",
      "verbatimText": "Police report an Armed and Dangerous Person On or Near Campus",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://alertcarolina.unc.edu/notifications/2023/09/13/16946240710001376071351/",
      "sourceDescription": "Alert Carolina archive — Police report armed and dangerous person (initial)",
      "annotations": [
        "Verbatim from official Alert Carolina notification archive."
      ],
      "characterCount": 61,
      "timestampApprox": "September 13, 2023"
    },
    {
      "sequence": 4,
      "type": "update",
      "channel": "email",
      "verbatimText": "Students, Faculty, and Staff:\n\nRetroactive to 1 p.m., UNC-Chapel Hill is operating at a Condition 3 status and will remain so until 5 p.m. today. From 5:01 p.m. until 11:59 p.m. today, the University will operate at a Condition 2 status. Classes are canceled for the rest of today, and non-mandatory operations are suspended. Employees are not required to work or use paid leave under Condition 3 unless otherwise informed by their supervisor.\n\nMore information and details about condition types can be found on the Adverse Weather & Emergency Closing webpage.\n\nResources\n\nUNC-Chapel Hill has resources available for students, faculty and staff. Your mental health and well-being are paramount, and there are resources available to support you now and in the days ahead.\n\nFor Students\n\nCounseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) is available to any students who need to speak with a mental health provider. CAPS can be reached via 919-966-3658 or caps@unc.edu.\n\nCAPS is available until 6 p.m. today in the Campus Health building to provide support to students who witnessed or were impacted by today’s incident. After 6 p.m. today, students can call 919-966-3658 to speak to a mental health professional.\n\nFor Employees\n\nEmployee Assistance Program (EAP) support is available online through GuidanceConnect. Log on to guidanceresources.com with a username and password or register with Web ID: TARHEELS. You may also call 877-314-5841 to make an appointment with a counselor. Support is free and confidential.\n\nFor updates, visit alertcarolina.unc.edu.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://alertcarolina.unc.edu/notifications/2023/09/13/16946328300001376007358/",
      "sourceDescription": "Alert Carolina archive — Condition 3 then Condition 2 status after armed person",
      "annotations": [
        "Verbatim from official Alert Carolina notification archive."
      ],
      "characterCount": 1554,
      "timestampApprox": "September 13, 2023"
    },
    {
      "sequence": 5,
      "type": "resolution",
      "channel": "email",
      "verbatimText": "Students, Faculty, and Staff:\n\nA suspect has been arrested and is in custody in relation to today’s armed and dangerous person incident. At 12:54 p.m., an Alert Carolina was issued and the sirens were activated because of reports at the Student Union of a person who brandished a weapon. UNC Police reported no shots fired. The situation was related to a personnel matter for one of our auxiliary units.\n\nThe initial Alert Carolina Emergency message was sent at 12:54 p.m. and the all clear message was sent at 2:10 p.m. UNC Police are working closely with Chapel Hill Police Department to gather information and continue their thorough and professional response.\n\nAt approximately 2:45 p.m., the Chapel Hill Police Department arrested Mickel Deonte Harris in the 300 block of Formosa Lane on an outstanding order for arrest. Charges are pending regarding today’s incident.\n\nAnyone with information about this incident should call UNC Police. The UNC Police Department is available 24 hours a day by calling 911 in an emergency or 919-962-8100 for non-emergency assistance. Officers are also available in person at the Public Safety Building located at 285 Manning Drive.\n\nFor updates on alerts, visit alertcarolina.unc.edu.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://alertcarolina.unc.edu/notifications/2023/09/13/informational-update-arrest-in-campus-incident/",
      "sourceDescription": "Alert Carolina archive — Arrest in campus incident informational update",
      "annotations": [
        "Verbatim from official Alert Carolina notification archive."
      ],
      "characterCount": 1224,
      "timestampApprox": "September 13, 2023"
    }
  ],
  "context": "On September 13, 2023, UNC-Chapel Hill locked down for the second time in three weeks. According to [UNC's official recap](https://www.unc.edu/posts/2023/09/14/armed-suspect-causes-second-lockdown/), a 911 call at 12:45 p.m. EDT reported a man brandishing a gun at the Alpine Bagel counter inside the Frank Porter Graham Student Union; the suspect threatened an employee and fled in a vehicle. UNC activated Alert Carolina for a campus-wide shelter-in-place at 12:54 p.m. EDT with sirens and text alerts, and [WUNC's live coverage](https://www.wunc.org/live-updates/unc-reports-armed-and-dangerous-person-on-campus-live-updates) reported that the adjacent UNC Hospitals were placed on lockdown as a precaution along with the rest of campus before being issued an all-clear and resuming operations later that afternoon. [Local coverage](https://www.wsoctv.com/news/local/armed-dangerous-person-reported-around-unc-chapel-hill-weeks-after-campus-shooting/KWC533AYZ5BWNGNLEI4ERSQAGU/) noted the incident came just weeks after the Aug. 28 shooting that killed faculty member Zijie Yan, heightening community anxiety. Chapel Hill Police arrested Mickel Deonte Harris, 27, around 2:45 p.m. EDT The case shows how a major academic medical center, physically embedded in a research-university campus, gets swept into a campus lockdown even when the threat originates in a student union. The [Alert Carolina notification archive](https://alertcarolina.unc.edu/notifications/2023/09/13/alert-carolina-emergency-update-reports-of-an-armed-dangerous-person-on-near-campus-continue-to-shelter-in-place-and-check-alertcarolina-unc-edu-for-info/) preserves the 'Emergency-Update' shelter-in-place message verbatim, and the [official all-clear notification](https://alertcarolina.unc.edu/notifications/2023/09/13/16946288340001376071649/) — '!Alert Carolina! All clear. All clear. Resume normal activities.', is likewise confirmed verbatim.",
  "keyFindings": [
    "UNC Hospitals locked down as part of a campus-wide shelter-in-place even though the threat originated in a student union, illustrating embedded-AHC risk",
    "The lockdown ran roughly 76 minutes, from the 12:54 p.m. EDT activation to the 2:10 p.m. EDT all clear, before an arrest around 2:45 p.m. EDT",
    "The incident came barely two weeks after the Aug. 28, 2023 fatal faculty shooting, compounding community trauma",
    "Both the 'Emergency-Update' shelter-in-place message and the all-clear are confirmed verbatim from the official Alert Carolina notification archive"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "!Alert Carolina! Emergency-Update: Reports of an armed & dangerous person on/near campus",
      "url": "https://alertcarolina.unc.edu/notifications/2023/09/13/alert-carolina-emergency-update-reports-of-an-armed-dangerous-person-on-near-campus-continue-to-shelter-in-place-and-check-alertcarolina-unc-edu-for-info/",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "Emergency: UNC issues All Clear (Alert Carolina notification archive)",
      "url": "https://alertcarolina.unc.edu/notifications/2023/09/13/16946288340001376071649/",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "Armed suspect causes second lockdown",
      "url": "https://www.unc.edu/posts/2023/09/14/armed-suspect-causes-second-lockdown/",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "UNC reports 'armed and dangerous person' on campus, live updates",
      "url": "https://www.wunc.org/live-updates/unc-reports-armed-and-dangerous-person-on-campus-live-updates",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "All clear after 'armed, dangerous' person reported at UNC-Chapel Hill",
      "url": "https://www.wsoctv.com/news/local/armed-dangerous-person-reported-around-unc-chapel-hill-weeks-after-campus-shooting/KWC533AYZ5BWNGNLEI4ERSQAGU/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Emergency:  Police report an Armed and Dangerous Person On or Near Campus",
      "url": "https://alertcarolina.unc.edu/notifications/2023/09/13/16946240710001376071351/",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "!AlertCarolina! Adverse Conditions-Critical: University operating at Condition 3 until 5pm & Cond. 2 until 11:59 pm. See alertcarolina.unc.edu for more info.",
      "url": "https://alertcarolina.unc.edu/notifications/2023/09/13/16946328300001376007358/",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "Informational: Update – Arrest in Campus Incident",
      "url": "https://alertcarolina.unc.edu/notifications/2023/09/13/informational-update-arrest-in-campus-incident/",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "Alert Carolina Notification Archive (SMS text)",
      "url": "https://alertcarolina.unc.edu/notifications/2023/09/13/16946276660001375997344/",
      "type": "official-archive"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "high",
  "tags": [
    "armed-person",
    "hospital",
    "academic-health-center",
    "north-carolina",
    "lockdown",
    "shelter-in-place",
    "alert-carolina",
    "emergency-notification"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-05-28",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-07-19",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}