ST. LOUIS — On Tuesday morning, Feb. 24, 2026, Washington University issued an alert warning of an armed person on its Danforth Campus at 9:18 a.m. and stated, “WashU Alert: Armed person on Danforth Campus. Run, Hide, or Fight. If hide, lock or barricade yourself in a room until further notice. If off campus, stay away.”
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About 15 minutes later, the university updated the message, saying, “Police are checking buildings in the vicinity of Brookings Hall after receiving reports of a person with a weapon. There is no confirmation of an active shooter, but please remain in place. If you see an armed person, Run, Hide, or Fight.”
Around 9:45 a.m., all alerts were removed from the university’s website.
At 10:21 a.m., the following was posted: "WashU Alert Update: "ALL-CLEAR: Police have completed their search of the Danforth Campus and did not locate an armed individual. There is no active threat on campus at this time. Normal campus operations may resume. Check emergency.washu.edu for updates."
Police remained at the scene near Brookings Hall and on the Danforth Campus at Washington University.
