No armed suspect identified following EU lockdown

Elmhurst University issued a lockdown on Wednesday, April 28, following reports of an armed individual on campus. No suspect was taken into custody. 

An EU alert sent out at 3:36 p.m. notified students and staff of an armed person near Dinkmeyer Hall. 

A second alert was distributed at 4:06 p.m. and noted the suspect was seen near Niebuhr Hall. 

There were no reports of shots fired on campus. 

Several alerts notified individuals on campus to seek shelter in a “locked room” while the Elmhurst Police Department inspected the buildings for the suspect. EU’s Public Safety Department and Elmhurst PD declined to comment. 

At 6:01 p.m. an all-clear was confirmed from university officials and the campus lockdown was lifted. 

In a campus-wide email addressing students, President Troy VanAken acknowledged “anonymous Internet phone calls” as being the source of the reported sightings. He also applauded the campus community for quickly responding to the situation and assured that the incident is being investigated.

“I know this was a disruption, and while no danger was found on campus, we take any threat to our community seriously. Thus, we needed to be extra sure before we called an all clear,” said VanAken in his email. “The Elmhurst Police will continue to investigate the origins of these calls and I hope they are able to hold those responsible accountable.”

Following the incident, university counselors and the chaplain held group counseling sessions in the Frick Center.