Students at Colorado State University raise concerns over school's communication following on campus shooting

Some Colorado State University students say they were left confused and frightened Monday evening after a police shooting on campus. Some students said they were unaware a man had been shot on campus, well after an all-clear notification had been issued by the university.

The shooting happened near Newton Plaza on CSU's main campus after Colorado State University Police Department officers initially responded to a report of a person acting erratically. According to the university, the man was armed with a handgun and advanced toward an officer, who shot him.

The man was taken to an area hospital, where he was being treated as of Tuesday afternoon. The university said no one else was injured.

It remains unclear whether the man fired his weapon or even pointed it toward another person. Neither CSU nor Fort Collins Police Services, the agency now leading the investigation into the shooting, has said whether the suspect fired any shots or whether the only gunfire came from police.

CBS Colorado is reporting based on the limited information released by CSU, which is handling communications with students, staff and journalists. The university did not make anyone available for an interview but issued an updated statement Tuesday afternoon.

"CSUPD determined there was no ongoing threat to campus and it was not an active shooter incident," the university said in its statement. "The Critical Incident Response Team, led by Fort Collins Police Services, is investigating, and any further information will come from FCPS."

Students who spoke with CBS Colorado described hearing what they believed were gunshots Monday evening, and trying to determine what was happening as rumors spread across campus.

"Everyone was saying there were shots fired," said Shadi Khalek, a CSU freshman.

Kylie Spaid, a CSU senior, said she was nearby when she heard the gunfire.

"I was just down the street and heard the pops," Spaid said.

Miriam Hill, a CSU junior, said the uncertainty was particularly frightening for students who were in class or taking exams when they heard the sounds.

"Rumors were swirling. People were in exams when they heard gunshots. Obviously that is terrifying," Hill said.

Hill said students struggled to understand what was happening as information remained limited.

"People were scared. We didn't know what was going on," Hill said.

Chris Chang says he was in the Yates building nearby when the shooting occurred and told CBS Colorado that they heard gunshots from the classroom. When the students saw police pull up outside, they locked the classroom doors and waited for more information. Then the first alert announcing police activity in the area went out.

"After this, there was no information provided to us. I spoke with multiple people in the chemistry building at the time who were never given any information besides the "police activity" text, and never contacted or checked on by police. I would have had no idea what had happened if I didn't hear the gunshots and hear from the other TAs in the room."

CSU said it sent more than 48,000 email and text messages to members of the campus community during the incident. The initial alert instructed people to avoid the area near the chemistry and microbiology buildings because of police activity. A subsequent message issued an all-clear.

However, the students who spoke with CBS Colorado said the alerts did not adequately explain the seriousness of the situation.

"It was such a vague notification," Spaid said.

Hill also described the initial message as unclear.

"It was still very vague," Hill said.

Students said some members of the campus community did not realize a shooting had occurred, even after the all-clear notification was sent.

"I heard a lot of people say they were on campus the whole time and had no idea," Hill said.

Hill said the lack of information contributed to anxiety among students.

"As a student body, we were uninformed. I think a lot of people felt left out, in the dark, and they were scared," Hill said.

Hill said she understood the university may have been trying to prevent panic, but believed the limited communication had the opposite effect.

"The issue was, by not informing the student body, people were getting more scared. Obviously, news like that is going to spread like wildfire," Hill said.

Chang said, "Mostly right now I'm upset by the lack of communication and transparency by law enforcement and the university."

The students also questioned why digital billboards around campus did not display safety notifications during the incident, as they were sold to the community as being primarily a resource for campus communications, especially during emergencies. Billboards of such size are otherwise illegal in the surrounding Fort Collins community, but CSU is on state-owned land. 

CBS Colorado asked CSU's spokesperson if the billboards were activated to notify students, and as of this article's publication, an answer has not been provided. 

Spaid said she saw the screens continue displaying advertisements during the incident.

"The billboards were still going off with their food ads, the bike ads," Spaid said.

Hill said she expected the screens to provide safety information during an emergency.

"There wasn't any safety notification on the billboards, which, if we remember, was the whole reason they were implemented," Hill said.

In its Tuesday statement, CSU acknowledged that some members of the campus community did not receive text alerts and said it was working to determine why and address the issue.

"Yesterday's alert and all clear messages each went to more than 48,000 email addresses and text numbers belonging to members of our campus community," the university said. "We recognize that some people did not receive the text alerts. We are currently working to understand why that happened and to fix the issue going forward."

Students who are not receiving text alerts can opt in through the university's emergency alert sign-up page. 

The university also expressed gratitude to CSU police, Fort Collins Police Services and other first responders for their response, while encouraging students and staff to check on one another and seek support if needed.

The Youth Peace and Justice Foundation, formerly the Uvalde Foundation for Kids, said it is offering support to students affected by the incident. The national foundation was formed after the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, and offers crisis response, emergency assistance and help for young people and families affected by violence.

The foundation says it is offering information about available support resources. YPJF operates a 24-hour support line for students and school communities, which can be reached at (833) 919-0966.

"We commend the CSU police officer for responding quickly to a potentially dangerous situation," said Daniel Chapin, Founder and President of the Youth Peace & Justice Foundation. "We are grateful that no other injuries were reported. Even when an incident is contained quickly, it can leave students, faculty and families shaken. They deserve to know where they can turn for support."  

The investigation remains ongoing. Fort Collins Police Services is leading the Critical Incident Response Team investigation, and CSU said further information will come from that agency.

CBS Colorado requested an interview with university staff on multiple occasions, but the university did not provide anyone for further comment to address questions and concerns from students, parents, and staff prior to this article's publication. 

CBS Colorado will update reporting as more information becomes available, including whether the suspect fired his weapon and whether his medical condition changes.