Gunman reports trigger shelter-in-place at UNC Wilmington following Charlie Kirk memorial uproar

University of North Carolina Wilmington police issued a shelter-in-place alert Thursday evening(September 18) after receiving unconfirmed, anonymous social-media reports that a person with a gun might be on campus, prompting a heavy law-enforcement response as officers swept the grounds.





The university sent its first alert at around 7:20 am, telling students and staff to shelter in place while University Police investigated unconfirmed, anonymous reports via social media regarding a subject with a gun on campus, and is taking these claims seriously.

Multiple law-enforcement units were deployed across campus, and officers entered the campus area in protective gear as police cleared buildings and exterior areas. University officials urged anyone on campus to remain sheltered and to report suspicious activity to campus police

The alert came amid heightened tensions at UNCW after a memorial painted on campus in honor of conservative activist Charlie Kirk became a flash point earlier in the week. Students affiliated with a candlelight vigil painted one of the campus “spirit rocks” in Kirk’s honor. The University of North Carolina at Wilmington’s main campus is located on the state’s southeastern coast, only a few miles from Wrightsville Beach and roughly 140 miles southeast of Raleigh, the capital.