PLATTEVILLE (WLUK) — Final exams at UW-Platteville have been canceled in the wake of an “emergency situation” that occurred Monday inside a residence hall on campus.
Police and university officials hosted a news conference Monday night, but released few details, saying they are still working to determine what went down.
“We’re really not at liberty to go into all the details of that because it’s an active, fluid investigation,” said UW-Platteville Police Chief Joseph Hallman.
Shortly before 4 p.m., a 911 call was made in regards to an incident at Wilgus Hall. Emergency personnel responded immediately and safety protocols were activated, alerting students and staff to shelter in place.
“It was determined relatively soon that it was not an active, ongoing threat,” Hallman said.
Authorities say it was an isolated incident and the shelter-in-place order was cleared just after 5 p.m.
When pressed for information about the situation, including whether weapons were involved, Hallman said he could not elaborate. He did say one person was transported to a hospital, but offered no details about who the individual was or the extent of their injuries.
“I’m not deliberately being vague, I apologize for that, but as I said, we want to make sure we get it right and protect the privacy of the individuals that were involved in this,” Hallman said.
Hallman added that no one is in custody.
Eric Sperduto, a sophomore at UW-Platteville, said he saw the aftermath of the situation, although his account of the incident hasn’t been confirmed by police.
“I showed up after it happened. I biked up and there was a bunch of girls running out of the building outside, and they said they heard two gun shots,” Sperduto told WMTV-TV. “As I was going inside, the cops were running in the other side. As I walked past the first floor, I saw the cops kneeling next to a body on the floor.”
It’s just really sad and just sad to think about the families that are affected by this and people that were their friends and stuff that I guess that are students just like me that are changed now.
All finals exams and scheduled assessments through the end of the week have been canceled in the wake of the incident. Students with specific questions or concerns about their courses should contact faculty members and the college deans.
“Both the faculty and staff, as well as the students, need time to be together, need time to work through this together. We are deeply saddened and know this event has a negative impact on our Pioneers, and we know students will want to be able to focus on their own wellbeing and spend time with friends and families,” said Laura Reynolds, UW-Platteville provost and vice chancellor of academic affairs.
Officials say campus will remain open. Students can access counseling through Mantra’s Care Hub at any time and University Counseling will be offering triage counseling Tuesday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
“We understand that you have a lot of questions, and we will answer what we can, but right now, what we have to focus on are those students who are impacted and support them in ways that only the people on this campus can do,” said UW-Platteville Chancellor Tammy Evetovich.
In a social media post, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers said he’s been briefed on the situation and will continue to stay in contact with university officials.
“Please keep UW-Platteville students, faculty, staff, and the greater Platteville community in your thoughts,” Evers wrote.
FOX 11 obtained a series of Pioneer Alert texts students received Monday regarding the situation.
Emergency: An emergency situation has been reported on campus. Avoid campus and shelter in place. More information will be forthcoming.
Emergency: Avoid the Wilgus Hall area at this time.
Pioneer Alerts: Continue to shelter in place if you are on campus and if you are not on campus, please avoid campus. More information will be forthcoming.
Shortly after 5 p.m., another alert was sent saying the shelter-in-place order had been lifted.
Law enforcement has confirmed that there is no active threat to the campus community. Emergency responders remain on the scene to provide assistance. Please continue to avoid Wilgus Hall. We will be communicating with residents of Wilgus Hall via campus email. More information will be sent via your university email.
On Monday evening, police began taking students who live in Wilgus Hall back into the building in groups of five to retrieve any necessary belongings. Officials are working with students to find housing accomodations.