{
  "id": "2024-07-13-university-of-texas-austin-moody-center-shots-fired",
  "slug": "university-of-texas-austin-moody-center-shots-fired-2024-07-13",
  "institution": {
    "name": "The University of Texas at Austin",
    "shortName": "UT Austin",
    "state": "TX",
    "type": "public-r1",
    "alertSystemName": "UT Alert",
    "enrollment": 53000
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2024-07-13",
    "type": "shooting",
    "cleryCategory": "emergency-notification",
    "resolution": "confirmed-threat",
    "headline": "Shooting, July 13, 2024",
    "summary": "Around 8:00 p.m. CDT on Saturday, July 13, 2024, UT Austin police responded to reports of [gunshots fired near the Moody Center](https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/utpd-searching-for-suspect-after-report-of-shots-fired-near-lbj-library/) at 2001 Robert Dedman Drive, in the area between the basketball arena and the former site of the Frank Erwin Center. UTPD pushed a UT Alert warning the community to avoid the area as officers, Austin police, and Texas DPS troopers searched for a suspect described as a [white or Hispanic man with long dark hair in a flannel shirt](https://www.fox7austin.com/news/shots-fired-ut-austin-campus-mlk-blvd-robert-dedman-drive). No injuries were reported.",
    "outcome": "Officers searched the area and were unable to locate a suspect, but [UTPD released surveillance images and asked the public for help identifying him](https://police.utexas.edu/news/utpd-seeks-community-assistance-identifying-suspect-shots-fired-call). The suspect was described as a white or Hispanic male between 20 and 30 years old, 5'7\" to 5'9\", medium build, wearing a black Miami Heat cap with a red brim, a gray Reebok hoodie with logo, dark denim pants, white Nike shoes with a black swoosh, and carrying a black backpack. No additional shots were reported after the initial incident.",
    "casualties": {
      "killed": 0,
      "injured": 0
    }
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "channel": "twitter-x",
      "verbatimText": "ON-CAMPUS INCIDENT NOTIFICATION - Officers are responding to a report of shots fired near Martin Luther King Blvd. and Robert Dedman Dr. \n\nPlease avoid the area while officers investigate. No reports of injuries at this time. More information to follow.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://x.com/UTAustinPolice/status/1812297136358236475",
      "sourceDescription": "@UTAustinPolice on X (verbatim raw t.co)",
      "annotations": [
        "Pushed shortly after the 8:00 p.m. CDT 911 call on Saturday, July 13, 2024",
        "Names the intersection of East Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Robert Dedman Drive, the southeast corner of campus, near the Moody Center and LBJ Presidential Library",
        "The initial description (white male, long black hair, flannel) was later refined by detectives reviewing surveillance video to a more detailed description with clothing brand specifics",
        "Verified exact official X/status text; prior reconstruction annotations removed per 2026-07-18 audit."
      ],
      "characterCount": 253,
      "timestamp": "2024-07-13T20:24:42-05:00"
    },
    {
      "sequence": 2,
      "type": "update",
      "timestamp": "2024-07-13T20:37:35-05:00",
      "channel": "twitter-x",
      "verbatimText": "INCIDENT UPDATE - Continue to avoid the area of Martin Luther King Blvd. and Robert Dedman Dr. If you are in the immediate area, please stay indoors as officers continue to investigate. \n\nMore information to follow.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://x.com/UTAustinPolice/status/1812300378047697220",
      "sourceDescription": "@UTAustinPolice on X (verbatim INCIDENT UPDATE)",
      "characterCount": 215,
      "annotations": [
        "Exact text recovered from @UTAustinPolice on X (verbatim INCIDENT UPDATE)"
      ]
    },
    {
      "sequence": 3,
      "type": "update",
      "timestamp": "2024-07-13T20:50:28-05:00",
      "channel": "twitter-x",
      "verbatimText": "UPDATE - Officers are searching the area for suspect. Description: White male with long, black hair. \nLast seen wearing: white and black flannel shirt and a black backpack.\n\nIf you see this person, do not approach. Call 911 or message us on LiveSafe: http://utex.as/livesafeut",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://x.com/UTAustinPolice/status/1812303617560359227",
      "sourceDescription": "@UTAustinPolice on X (verbatim raw t.co)",
      "characterCount": 276,
      "annotations": [
        "Exact text recovered from @UTAustinPolice on X (verbatim suspect description UPDATE)"
      ]
    },
    {
      "sequence": 4,
      "type": "all-clear",
      "channel": "twitter-x",
      "verbatimText": "FINAL- No additional shots have been heard/reported since the initial incident. Suspect appears to have fled the area. No injuries have been reported and there is no ongoing threat to the community. \n\nOfficers continue to investigate, no further action is needed from the public.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://x.com/UTAustinPolice/status/1812310136503070789",
      "sourceDescription": "@UTAustinPolice on X (verbatim FINAL Moody Center update)",
      "annotations": [
        "Verified complete alert text on https://x.com/UTAustinPolice/status/1812310136503070789 (@UTAustinPolice); archiveUrl null (X status). characterCount=279.",
        "The all-clear came after a multi-agency search by UTPD, the Austin Police Department, and Texas Department of Public Safety troopers",
        "No suspect was apprehended; the investigation continued via surveillance video review and a public assistance request issued the following week"
      ],
      "characterCount": 279,
      "timestamp": "2024-07-13T21:16:22-05:00",
      "archiveUrl": null,
      "confidence": "high",
      "lastUpdated": "2026-07-18"
    }
  ],
  "responseTimeMinutes": 0,
  "context": "UT Austin's July 13, 2024 shots-fired alert came on a quiet summer Saturday evening, when most of the 53,000-student campus was empty. UTPD received the 911 call around 8:00 p.m. CDT, with witnesses reporting [possible gunshots near the Moody Center](https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/ut-police-looking-for-suspect-in-connection-with-shots-fired-call/) at 2001 Robert Dedman Drive, the new basketball arena that had opened in 2022 to replace the Frank Erwin Center. The location is on the southeast corner of campus, near the LBJ Presidential Library and the intersection of East Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Robert Dedman Drive. UTPD issued a UT Alert warning students, staff, and Austin residents to avoid the area, then conducted a coordinated search with the [Austin Police Department and Texas Department of Public Safety troopers](https://www.fox7austin.com/news/shots-fired-ut-austin-campus-mlk-blvd-robert-dedman-drive). No injuries were reported, no additional gunfire occurred, and no suspect was located on scene. The following week, UTPD took the unusual step of [releasing surveillance images and a detailed suspect description](https://police.utexas.edu/news/utpd-seeks-community-assistance-identifying-suspect-shots-fired-call), asking the public to help identify a white or Hispanic male in his 20s wearing a black Miami Heat cap with a red brim. The Moody Center incident illustrates the increasing role of campus police in policing the porous edges of large urban universities, where MLK Boulevard separates campus from a dense entertainment district and the LBJ Library complex. UT Alert is operated through the [UTPD Incident Notifications system](https://police.utexas.edu/crimefeed).",
  "keyFindings": [
    "The Saturday-evening, summer-session timing meant the campus was nearly empty, but UTPD still pushed a full UT Alert, a precaution that reflects how the boundary between campus and Austin's dense surrounding neighborhoods is treated",
    "UTPD's subsequent release of detailed suspect imagery, including clothing brand specifics down to the Nike swoosh, illustrates how campus departments are increasingly leaning on the public for surveillance-video identification",
    "No suspect was ever apprehended in publicly available records, raising questions about how campus shots-fired alerts close out when there is no arrest or definitive identification"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "UTPD searching for suspect after report of shots fired near LBJ library (KXAN Austin)",
      "url": "https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/utpd-searching-for-suspect-after-report-of-shots-fired-near-lbj-library/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Shots fired on UT Austin campus, suspect at large: UTPD (FOX 7 Austin)",
      "url": "https://www.fox7austin.com/news/shots-fired-ut-austin-campus-mlk-blvd-robert-dedman-drive",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "UTPD Seeks Community Assistance in Identifying Suspect from Shots Fired Call (UT Police Department)",
      "url": "https://police.utexas.edu/news/utpd-seeks-community-assistance-identifying-suspect-shots-fired-call",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "UT police looking for suspect in connection with shots fired call (KXAN Austin)",
      "url": "https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/ut-police-looking-for-suspect-in-connection-with-shots-fired-call/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Incident Notifications (UT Police Department)",
      "url": "https://police.utexas.edu/crimefeed",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "@UTAustinPolice on X (verbatim ON-CAMPUS INCIDENT NOTIFICATION)",
      "url": "https://x.com/UTAustinPolice/status/1812297136358236475",
      "type": "official-social"
    },
    {
      "title": "@UTAustinPolice on X (verbatim FINAL update)",
      "url": "https://x.com/UTAustinPolice/status/1812310136503070789",
      "type": "official-social"
    },
    {
      "title": "@UTAustinPolice on X (verbatim INCIDENT UPDATE)",
      "url": "https://x.com/UTAustinPolice/status/1812300378047697220",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "@UTAustinPolice on X (verbatim raw t.co)",
      "url": "https://x.com/UTAustinPolice/status/1812303617560359227",
      "type": "official-archive"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "high",
  "tags": [
    "shots-fired",
    "big-12-flagship",
    "texas",
    "ut-alert",
    "moody-center",
    "lbj-library",
    "summer-incident",
    "no-suspect-located",
    "multi-agency-response"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-05-13",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-07-18",
  "addedBy": "ingestion",
  "_path": "data/cases/2024-07-13-university-of-texas-austin-moody-center-shots-fired.json"
}