ST. LOUIS — Washington University Police Chief Angela Coonce said after a thorough investigation, they do not believe reports of an armed person on the university’s Danforth Campus were credible after the campus briefly went into a shelter-in-place on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026.
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Coonce added that Washington University Police will continue to investigate and “pursue charges against anyone who is found responsible for the false reports that caused the shelter-in-place.”
On Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, Washington University’s Danforth Campus entered shelter-in-place protocol following what the Washington University Police Department described as false reports of an armed person on campus.
WashU Emergency Management first notified the campus at 9:19 a.m. on Tuesday after Washington University Police “received multiple calls reporting an individual with a weapon on the Danforth Campus.” At 10:21 a.m. on Tuesday, WashU Emergency Management declared there was no active threat after police completed their search of the Danforth Campus.
She praised the Washington University community’s response during the alert.
Coonce thanked students, faculty, and staff for sheltering in place and following instructions communicated through WashU Alerts and officers at the scene.
“Your cooperation made it possible for our officers to do their work quickly and safely,” she said.
