FAU campus in Boca on ‘lockdown’ after shooting in dorm

By Dale M. King
CITY EDITOR

Lockdown was ordered at the Boca Raton campus of Florida Atlantic University early Wednesday after two shots were fired at a student-sponsored party, said Police Chief Charles E. Lowe and FAU President Frank T. Brogan at an 8 a.m. news conference.

Lowe said a man – apparently not a student – fired two shots from a handgun following a “physical altercation” in a student residence hall.  He said one person suffered a minor injury, but it could not be determined immediately if the bullet grazed him, said Lowe.

As a result of lockdown, all classes on the Boca Raton campus were closed, said Brogan, along with Palm Beach Community College on the FAU campus, the A.D. Henderson Elementary & Middle School, FAU High School, the Lifelong Learning Society and the Green Memory & Wellness Center.  

The lockdown was lifted at 12:30 after a “person of interest” was located off campus.  Classes remained closed through the day, but were scheduled to resume today.

In the meantime, police have located “a person of interest” in connection with the case. No other information was available.

Brogan said a black-and-white picture of the man was taken from a surveillance camera, enhanced into color and distributed around the campus and to news media.

According to a statement from FAU, Boca Raton Police contacted the FAU police department at 1:16 a.m. Wednesday to inform them of a 911 call received about a possible shooting on the Boca Raton campus.

Upon receiving the call, FAU police immediately began to investigate the situation and determined that shots had been fired at the student apartments, said the statement from FAU.
 
At 1:42 a.m. FAU police activated the newly installed siren and PA system, alerting the campus community that there was an armed person on campus and that all campus residents and visitors should seek shelter immediately.

Messages were also posted on the homepage, throughout the website, and a university wide email was sent out asking those on campus to seek shelter and those off campus to remain off campus.

Brogan said the new reverse 911 system was also utilized. In addition, notices were posted in the residence halls regarding the situation.

The FAU president said the incident tested the new alert system installed 60 days ago, in the wake of shootings at other university campuses across the nation.  “It has not been fully tested yet,” said Brogan at the news conference.  But he said he felt 20 minutes from receipt of the police call to the sounding of the alarm “was pretty good turnaround time.”

“It is believed that this is an isolated incident,” said Lowe. “No one was seriously injured during the incident, though a non-student received minor injuries.”

As a result of the lockdown, only Level 1 Tier 1, or “essential” personnel were permitted on campus.

As of Wednesday, officials said, “the Boca Raton campus will remain closed until further notice to allow police officials to continue their search and investigation. All other FAU campuses will remain open.”

More information regarding making up class sessions will be available on www.fau.edu along with additional information about the incident.