{
  "id": "2022-02-09-winston-salem-state-university-bomb-threat",
  "slug": "winston-salem-state-university-bomb-threat-2022-02-09",
  "institution": {
    "name": "Winston-Salem State University",
    "shortName": "WSSU",
    "state": "NC",
    "type": "hbcu",
    "alertPlatform": "Rave Guardian",
    "enrollment": 5100
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2022-02-09",
    "type": "bomb-threat",
    "cleryCategory": "emergency-notification",
    "headline": "Bomb threat prompts a building-by-building search without evacuation; no device found",
    "headlinePublic": "Bomb threat prompts a building-by-building search without evacuation; no device found",
    "summary": "On Wednesday, February 9, 2022, Winston-Salem State University received a [bomb threat by phone around 11:30 a.m. EST](https://journalnow.com/news/local/education/winston-salem-state-receives-bomb-threat-two-hbcus-in-north-carolina-receive-bomb-threats-on/article_847cc5ec-8f79-11ec-a8f9-c3fa7a2b96bb.html). The HBCU judged there was not enough credible evidence to evacuate buildings but brought in Winston-Salem police and Forsyth County deputies, who [searched every campus building](https://myfox8.com/news/north-carolina/piedmont-triad/bomb-threat-made-at-winston-salem-state-university/) and found no device by about 4:10 p.m. EST. It was one of dozens of threats against HBCUs in early 2022.",
    "outcome": "Law enforcement searched all campus buildings and found no explosive device. No evacuation was ordered. The threat was part of a wave of more than 50 bomb threats against HBCUs investigated by the FBI.",
    "resolution": "confirmed-hoax"
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestamp": "2022-02-09T11:50:00-05:00",
      "timestampApprox": "Late morning, February 9, 2022, shortly after the ~11:30 a.m. EST threat call",
      "channel": "sms",
      "verbatimText": "",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": false,
      "sourceDescription": "Reconstructed from Winston-Salem Journal and FOX8 reporting; alert sent via Rave Guardian. Exact wording not published",
      "annotations": []
    },
    {
      "sequence": 2,
      "type": "all-clear",
      "timestamp": "2022-02-09T16:15:00-05:00",
      "timestampApprox": "Shortly after 4:10 p.m. EST on February 9, 2022, once searches were complete",
      "channel": "sms",
      "verbatimText": "So far, no substantiated risks have been found. The situation has been contained and there is no immediate threat to campus.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.wfmynews2.com/article/news/local/wssu-receives-bomb-threat-amid-nationwide-series-targeting-hbcu/83-dbcf0149-8be9-4418-8b93-9125596d316d",
      "sourceDescription": "WFMY News 2 quoting the message WSSU sent to students and faculty via its alert system; identical wording reproduced by 88.5 WFDD",
      "annotations": [
        "Quoted verbatim by WFMY News 2 and WFDD as the message 'WSSU officials sent out to students and faculty via its alert system' resolving the bomb threat.",
        "Worded as a status update ('so far... contained... no immediate threat to campus') rather than an explicit 'all clear', it nonetheless served as the notification that lifted the threat after the building-by-building search."
      ],
      "characterCount": 124
    }
  ],
  "context": "Winston-Salem State University, a public HBCU founded in 1892, was one of many historically Black colleges targeted during a [sustained wave of bomb threats in early 2022](https://abc11.com/post/hbcu-bomb-threats-fayetteville-state-winston-salem-north-carolina-central/11574990/). On Wednesday, February 9, 2022, WSSU received a threat by phone around 11:30 a.m. EST. The university [evaluated the threat](https://journalnow.com/news/local/education/winston-salem-state-receives-bomb-threat-two-hbcus-in-north-carolina-receive-bomb-threats-on/article_847cc5ec-8f79-11ec-a8f9-c3fa7a2b96bb.html) and decided there was not enough credible evidence to evacuate, but called in the Winston-Salem Police Department and Forsyth County Sheriff's Office to search every campus building. By shortly before 4:10 p.m. EST, [officers had found no device](https://myfox8.com/news/north-carolina/piedmont-triad/bomb-threat-made-at-winston-salem-state-university/). The university used its Rave Guardian-based alert system to reach students by email, text, and phone. The threat fed into an [FBI investigation of more than 50 threats against HBCUs](https://www.ncdps.gov/news/press-releases/2022/02/28/governor-cooper-public-safety-officials-discuss-safety-concerns), and Governor Roy Cooper later met with HBCU leaders over the campaign.",
  "keyFindings": [
    "WSSU chose threat assessment over automatic evacuation, searching all buildings while keeping operations running",
    "The incident was part of a coordinated nationwide campaign of 50-plus bomb threats against HBCUs in early 2022 that drew FBI and gubernatorial attention",
    "No explosive device was found; the threat resolved as a hoax roughly four and a half hours after the call"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "Winston-Salem State receives bomb threat; two HBCUs in North Carolina receive bomb threats on Wednesday",
      "url": "https://journalnow.com/news/local/education/winston-salem-state-receives-bomb-threat-two-hbcus-in-north-carolina-receive-bomb-threats-on/article_847cc5ec-8f79-11ec-a8f9-c3fa7a2b96bb.html",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Bomb threat made at Winston-Salem State University",
      "url": "https://myfox8.com/news/north-carolina/piedmont-triad/bomb-threat-made-at-winston-salem-state-university/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "WSSU receives bomb threat as FBI investigates nationwide series of HBCUs being targeted (WFMY News 2)",
      "url": "https://www.wfmynews2.com/article/news/local/wssu-receives-bomb-threat-amid-nationwide-series-targeting-hbcu/83-dbcf0149-8be9-4418-8b93-9125596d316d",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Authorities investigate source of bomb threats targeting HBCUs",
      "url": "https://abc11.com/post/hbcu-bomb-threats-fayetteville-state-winston-salem-north-carolina-central/11574990/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Governor Cooper, Public Safety Officials Discuss Safety Concerns with HBCU Leaders Following Recent Bomb Threats",
      "url": "https://www.ncdps.gov/news/press-releases/2022/02/28/governor-cooper-public-safety-officials-discuss-safety-concerns",
      "type": "official-archive"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "medium",
  "tags": [
    "bomb-threat",
    "north-carolina",
    "hbcu",
    "hbcu-threat-wave-2022",
    "hoax",
    "winston-salem",
    "emergency-notification"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-05-28",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-06-21",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}