Lockdown Lifted After Armed Assault At UMass Amherst

AMHERST (CBS) - A shelter in place order has been lifted at UMass Amherst after a student was assaulted by a person with a gun.

An alert sent out to students Thursday afternoon said there was a "hostile armed person reported in Pierpont Hall." UMass Police officers secured a perimeter and interviewed witnesses.

About an hour later, the university told students to resume normal activities.

UMass Police say a student was assaulted by two suspects in Pierpont Hall, a residence hall for first year students, at about 5:15 p.m. The two suspects fled campus and police are currently "vigorously pursuing leads."

Police say a handgun was shown during the incident but was not fired. The suspects are not believed to be UMass students.

The victim, who is a student, suffered a laceration to the head and is being treated at a local hospital. The assault is not believed to be random.

"Our officers responded promptly and our community responded well to the emergency communications that we shared in a timely manner throughout the incident," said UMass Police Chief Tyrone Parham. "I want to thank everyone involved for their assistance and cooperation."

UMass Amherst's 1,400 acre campus is about 90 miles west of Boston. Currently, 22,000 undergraduate students attend the school.