A man carrying a gun was seen walking through a campus housing building last Friday, and the incident was not reported until four days later.
A student vacuuming the halls near elevators in West Hall saw a man walk by at around 2:15 p.m. on Friday, April 13. The man was carrying a black gun and was dressed in black sweats with a matching top that had the word “Vikings” embroidered on it.
Four days later, on April 17, the student reported the incident to Campus Public Safety after being convinced to do so by a third party. The student reported having seen the man with a gun a day after a gunman killed 32 students and himself at Virginia Tech, including two students in their campus housing residences.
Director of Campus Public Safety Mike Soto said Public Safety is going door-to-door in West Hall, investigating Friday’s events. He said Public Safety hopes to find someone who can give them more information.
“We’re checking to make sure that folks are safe,” Soto said. “We’re trying.”
The student who filed the report did not file it immediately, the student told officers, because the man with the gun seemed “very friendly and made no attempt to conceal the handgun,” the report said.
Lindsay Desrochers, vice president of Finance and Administration, sent an e-mail to all students last night to “reassure our community that we have planned and prepared for all types of emergency situations.”
The e-mail states that PSU has a series of response plans in the case of an emergency, including an emergency response system, immediate response from Campus Public Safety, e-mail and voicemail alerts, and a commitment to keep the community informed of crises through the PSU website and local media.
Public Safety is currently investigating the incident and asks that anyone with information contact them at 503-725-4407.
Director of Residence Life Corey Ray was unavailable for comment.