{
  "id": "2025-05-19-uw-platteville-shooting",
  "slug": "uw-platteville-shooting-2025-05-19",
  "institution": {
    "name": "University of Wisconsin-Platteville",
    "shortName": "UW-Platteville",
    "state": "WI",
    "type": "public-masters",
    "alertSystemName": "Pioneer Alert",
    "enrollment": 6500
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2025-05-19",
    "type": "shooting",
    "cleryCategory": "emergency-notification",
    "resolution": "confirmed-threat",
    "headline": "Two students died in a murder-suicide in Wilgus Hall; final exams canceled",
    "headlinePublic": "Two students died in a murder-suicide in Wilgus Hall; final exams canceled",
    "summary": "On May 19, 2025, a [911 call just before 4:00 PM CDT](https://www.wpr.org/news/uw-platteville-emergency-incident-shelter-in-place-order) reported an incident at Wilgus Hall on the UW-Platteville campus. Police found two women with gunshot wounds. Hallie Helms, 22, an [elementary education major from Baraboo](https://www.telegraphherald.com/news/tri-state/article_0cb58273-b1ca-4b5b-8ad5-c7b067106380.html), died at the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Kelsie Martin, 22, an [assistant resident director and psychology major](https://spectrumnews1.com/wi/milwaukee/news/2025/05/19/uw-platteville-shelter-in-place), was flown to UW Hospital and pronounced dead. All final exams were cancelled.",
    "outcome": "Both women died: Hallie Helms at the scene and Kelsie Martin at UW Hospital. The incident was classified as a murder-suicide. All final exams were cancelled.",
    "casualties": {
      "killed": 1,
      "injured": 0
    }
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestamp": "2025-05-19T16:24:00-05:00",
      "channel": "multi-channel",
      "verbatimText": "Emergency: An emergency situation has been reported on campus. Avoid campus and shelter in place. More information will be forthcoming.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://fox11online.com/news/state/police-respond-to-active-incident-at-uw-platteville-wmtv-15-wilgus-hall-shelter-in-place-campus",
      "sourceDescription": "FOX 11 Wisconsin, quoting Pioneer Alert text",
      "annotations": [
        "The initial Pioneer Alert was sent at approximately 4:24 PM CDT on May 19, 2025, about 24 minutes after the 911 call",
        "The alert used generic language without specifying the location or nature of the emergency",
        "The vague initial message was later supplemented with specific Wilgus Hall information"
      ],
      "characterCount": 135
    },
    {
      "sequence": 2,
      "type": "update",
      "timestampApprox": "Shortly after initial alert on May 19, 2025",
      "channel": "multi-channel",
      "verbatimText": "Emergency: Avoid the Wilgus Hall area at this time. Pioneer Alerts: Continue to shelter in place if you are on campus and if you are not on campus, please avoid campus. More information will be forthcoming.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://fox11online.com/news/state/police-respond-to-active-incident-at-uw-platteville-wmtv-15-wilgus-hall-shelter-in-place-campus",
      "sourceDescription": "FOX 11 Wisconsin, quoting Pioneer Alert text",
      "annotations": [
        "This update specified Wilgus Hall as the location, providing crucial information missing from the first alert",
        "The dual instruction (shelter in place if on campus, avoid campus if not) is a best practice for emergency communications"
      ],
      "characterCount": 206
    },
    {
      "sequence": 3,
      "type": "all-clear",
      "timestamp": "2025-05-19T17:03:00-05:00",
      "channel": "multi-channel",
      "verbatimText": "Law enforcement has confirmed that there is no active threat to the campus community. Emergency responders remain on the scene to provide assistance. Please continue to avoid Wilgus Hall. We will be communicating with residents of Wilgus Hall via campus email.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://fox11online.com/news/state/police-respond-to-active-incident-at-uw-platteville-wmtv-15-wilgus-hall-shelter-in-place-campus",
      "sourceDescription": "FOX 11 Wisconsin, quoting Pioneer Alert text",
      "annotations": [
        "Sent at approximately 5:03 PM CDT on May 19, 2025, about 39 minutes after the initial alert",
        "The all-clear carefully stated 'no active threat' while noting emergency responders remained on scene, avoiding premature closure",
        "A separate communication channel (campus email) was used for Wilgus Hall residents specifically, acknowledging their heightened need for information"
      ],
      "characterCount": 260
    }
  ],
  "context": "On May 19, 2025, a [murder-suicide in Wilgus Hall at UW-Platteville](https://www.wpr.org/news/uw-platteville-emergency-incident-shelter-in-place-order) killed two students during finals week. A 911 call just before 4:00 PM CDT reported the incident, and UW-Platteville police found two women with gunshot wounds. Hallie Helms, 22, an elementary education major from Baraboo, died at the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Kelsie Martin, 22, an assistant resident director and psychology major from Beloit, was flown to [UW Hospital where she was pronounced dead](https://spectrumnews1.com/wi/milwaukee/news/2025/05/19/uw-platteville-shelter-in-place). Both women were 22 and had graduated just days before the shooting; a [later police report](https://fox11online.com/news/crime/police-report-reveals-uw-platteville-shooters-online-searches-details-of-murder-suicide-resident-assistant-hallie-helms-kelsie-martin-beloit-baraboo-gun-wilgus-hall-shooting-early-education-autopsy-chancellor-tammy-evetovich) found Helms had a documented pattern of concerning searches and writings before fatally shooting Martin and then herself. [FOX 11 published the verbatim Pioneer Alert texts](https://fox11online.com/news/state/police-respond-to-active-incident-at-uw-platteville-wmtv-15-wilgus-hall-shelter-in-place-campus), showing three escalating messages. All final exams were cancelled. [The Telegraph Herald](https://www.telegraphherald.com/news/tri-state/article_0cb58273-b1ca-4b5b-8ad5-c7b067106380.html) and [CBS 58](https://www.cbs58.com/news/uw-platteville-issues-shelter-in-place-alert-asks-anyone-off-campus-to-avoid-area) provided additional coverage. [WKOW](https://www.wkow.com/news/crime/emergency-situation-reported-at-uw-platteville-campus/article_d537880c-a221-49ed-8df4-da842690e85f.html) reported on the broader campus impact.",
  "keyFindings": [
    "All three verbatim Pioneer Alert texts are preserved, showing how emergency communications evolved from generic to specific over 39 minutes",
    "The murder-suicide killed an assistant resident director (a student employee responsible for the safety of other residents) adding a layer of institutional tragedy",
    "Finals week timing meant the campus was already under stress, and all remaining exams were cancelled in the aftermath"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "UW-Platteville emergency incident, shelter-in-place order (WPR)",
      "url": "https://www.wpr.org/news/uw-platteville-emergency-incident-shelter-in-place-order",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Police respond to active incident at UW-Platteville (FOX 11, with alert texts)",
      "url": "https://fox11online.com/news/state/police-respond-to-active-incident-at-uw-platteville-wmtv-15-wilgus-hall-shelter-in-place-campus",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "UW-Platteville shelter in place (Spectrum News 1)",
      "url": "https://spectrumnews1.com/wi/milwaukee/news/2025/05/19/uw-platteville-shelter-in-place",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "UW-Platteville shooting details (Telegraph Herald)",
      "url": "https://www.telegraphherald.com/news/tri-state/article_0cb58273-b1ca-4b5b-8ad5-c7b067106380.html",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "UW-Platteville issues shelter-in-place alert (CBS 58)",
      "url": "https://www.cbs58.com/news/uw-platteville-issues-shelter-in-place-alert-asks-anyone-off-campus-to-avoid-area",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Police report reveals UW-Platteville shooter's online searches, details of murder-suicide (FOX 11)",
      "url": "https://fox11online.com/news/crime/police-report-reveals-uw-platteville-shooters-online-searches-details-of-murder-suicide-resident-assistant-hallie-helms-kelsie-martin-beloit-baraboo-gun-wilgus-hall-shooting-early-education-autopsy-chancellor-tammy-evetovich",
      "type": "local-media"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "medium",
  "tags": [
    "shooting",
    "murder-suicide",
    "dormitory",
    "wisconsin",
    "uw-system",
    "finals-cancelled",
    "resident-director",
    "verbatim-alerts"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-04-04",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-07-16",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}