Lockdown Cancelled at URI

3:05 p.m. – Today’s lockdown at the University of Rhode Island — which is now lifted —started based on a remark a professor heard from a student, according to Rhode Island State Police captain Frank Castellone.

Castellone said that the professor heard someone say, “I’m a good guy, I have a gun.” From there, Castellone said that “things got crazy in the classroom,” which was an auditorium-style room with space for 300 students.

Earlier, a student in the classroom told Patch reporters that the professor told everyone to run from the room. Castellone said police were first notified at 11:22 a.m.

Castellone said that officers cleared the Chafee Social Science building room by room, and no weapons were found. He said a nerf gun, believed to be for a campus-wide Humans vs. Zombies game, was found, but they didn’t know whether there was a connection to the gun remark overheard by the professor.

“It’s certainly possible that there was a misinterpretation,” Castellone said.

He added that the investigation would continue.

University of Rhode Island police Major Steven Baker said that a perimeter was quickly established during the initial stage of the lockdown. He said it was established quickly enough to prevent any gunman from leaving.

Castellone said that two students were treated at the scene by URI EMS for cuts and bruises. He added that another student later reported to URI Health Services for treatment.

University of Rhode Island president David Dooley praised the quick response of police and other officials. He said the university’s website crashed because it was receiving hits at the rate of one million per hour.

When asked about the Humans vs. Zombies game, he said, “We’ll have to look at whether to have those games in the future.”

He also said that he was in favor of arming campus police officers.

“This will certainly cause us to look at it more intensely,” he said.

2:20 p.m.  – URI has released the following statement on its Facebook page:

The Kingston campus lock-down has ended. State police have cleared Chafee Hall. The investigation has revealed that at no time was there a gun or an active shooter on the campus. Everyone can resume their normal activities. Shuttles and RIPTA will resume shortly. Classes will resume on Friday, April 5.

2:10 p.m. – South Kingstown High School principal Bob McCarthy just read the following statement to students:

Before the end of the school day, I wanted to provide you an update on what we know about what’s happening at URI.  There continues to be no evidence of a firearm on campus.  While there are no reported injuries or suspects, buildings remain on lock down.  Students who have family or friends on campus should know URI is still in lockdown mode and it may be a while before students and adults at URI can leave campus.  State authorities are not allowing buses onto campus right now, so we’ve contacted any students who are impacted by that situation.  If you have not been contacted by Mr. Cronin or Mr. Young, you can take your bus home.  I’m sorry that this situation caused any of you undo stress.  Fortunately, there does not appear to be any credence to the rumors. Thank you for your understanding.

1:50 p.m. – All events for the Boss Ice Arena and Ryan Center have also been cancelled for today.

1:25 p.m. – According to the university, state police are now clearing Chafee Hall room by room.

1:20 p.m. – Sarah Mosley, sophomore at URI from West Newbury, MA, was sitting in her classroom during a lecture in Room 271 of the Chafee building at 11:15 a.m. when a man cried out.

“We were just sitting and listening to our professor lecture when we heard some guy in the back of room. It was unintelligible, but we heard the word 'gun' and our teacher yelled 'run' so we did,” Mosley said.

The URI sophomore said she felt panic.

“I dropped my laptop on the floor and ran out the door. We ran all the way to Davis, a five-minute run. I was worried about what was going to happen. I feel pretty safe in this building [Davis].”

Ellington, CT’s Meghan Kacmarcik, also a sophomore, said she also heard a man in the back of the classroom cry out something that ended with the word “gun.”

Both Kacmarcik and Mosley say they do not know the identity of this man.

“I heard someone yell something unintelligible and you couldn't really hear, except the word 'gun,'” Kacmarcik said. “We just ran as fast as we could to get away. We couldn't think straight. Anyone around me could have the gun.”

“We didn't turn to look back. We just ran,” Mosley said.

According to a reporter on the scene for Patch, the mood on the campus is quiet right now. There are a handful of people on the quad, and a few students wandering around.

The reporter estimated the police presence at about 20 cars, from South Kingstown, Charlestown and the URI forces. Three helicopters are also circling around the campus.

1:10 p.m. – South Kingstown High School principal Bob McCarthy read the following statement to students there:

Good afternoon, many of you have heard the rumor that there was a firearm at URI.  While we are waiting for more details, the latest information we have is that no shots have been fired.  Authorities have sealed off the area where the firearm was rumored to have been located.  Students and adults were evacuated from the general area.   I want to emphasize that there are no reports of anyone being injured.  While its understandable for some of you to want to proceed directly to the URI campus, know that all buildings are on lockdown status and you would be hindering authorities from completing their safety protocols.  Also, know that its difficult right now to access anybody via cell phones on campus, due to the high volume of calls coming from students and staff.  Please take that into consideration and don’t assume a missed call means that someone is unable to get to their phone.

1:05 p.m. – Rhode Island State Police Superintendent Colonel Steven O'Donnell has released the following statement regarding the situation down at the University of Rhode Island's Kingston campus:

"A phone call was made in the last hour from the URI campus reporting an active shooter on campus. URI, South Kingstown Police, and State Police were dispatched to respond to the situation. At this time, we have no further evidence to support the report and are responding to the incident."

The campus has not been cleared and is still on lockdown. Everyone on campus is advised to stay where they are indoors until further notice.

1 p.m. – Laura Johnson, a freshman nursing student from Marblehead, MA, was in the classroom when there was a big bang on the classroom door. She said that someone yelled from the hallway, “He’s got a gun!”

As a result, she said everyone ran from Chafee, throwing down their computers and stampeding out. She said she saw a girl with cuts all over her face, and no one was helping anyone up because they were trying to get out, afraid they were going to get shot.

Kassandra Burke, a junior from Manchester, NH, gave an account similar to Johnson’s. She said she heard a banging on the door, someone yelling, “He’s got a gun,” and then it was just chaos as everyone started running.

“I just panicked and ran out of the building,” she said. She was in a hallway in lower Chafee at the time.

12 p.m. – Based on multiple reports from sources at the University of Rhode and the university’s Facebook feed, the campus is in lockdown as university officials are advising students and faculty to seek shelter and stay where they are until further notice.

According to the university’s Facebook, they received a report of a man with a gun near Chafee Hall on the Kingston campus.

Based on multiple reports to Narragansett-South Kingstown Patch, South Kingstown and URI police are currently searching campus.

According to multiple URI employees and students, a text alert went out at 11:51 a.m.

Avery Capponigro, a URI student, says she was standing outside Chafee when she saw "mostly everyone was evacuating and people were still coming out of building."

According to multiple published accounts, no shots were fired.

Students suffered bumps and bruises during an evacuation of Chafee Hall.

Classes at URI have been cancelled as of 12:40 p.m.

We will update this story as more information becomes available. First hand reporting done by Portsmouth Patch Local Editor Sandy McGee, an adjunct at URI, and Rhode Island Patch Regional Editor Patrick Luce. Additional reporting contributed by North Kingstown Local Editor Samantha Turner and Narragansett-South Kingstown Patch Local Editor Stephen Greenwell.