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Campus Alert Archive
Auburn

Hayfield Standoff: Auburn Issues Timely Warning for Threatening Display of Weapon

ALaggravated assaulttimely warningmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

On the morning of October 28, 2023, Auburn University Campus Safety and Security received a report of an aggravated assault near Lem Morrison Drive and South Donahue Drive. According to the timely warning, an individual known to the reporting party made general threatening comments while displaying a weapon. No direct physical assault was reported.

Alerts
1
Response
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
Auburn University
Public R1 · AL
~33,000 studentsAU ALERT
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

1 message in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTFacebook
Approximate reconstruction525 chars
TIMELY WARNING: Auburn University Campus Safety and Security received a report of an aggravated assault that occurred at approximately 9 a.m. this morning at the hayfield near Lem Morrison Drive and South Donahue Drive. The party that reported the incident said a known individual made general threatening comments while showing a weapon. No direct threats were made. There is no ongoing threat to campus. If you have any information, please contact Auburn University Campus Safety and Security or the Auburn Police Division.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed from WTVM and Auburn Plainsman summaries; the original Facebook post text is paraphrased in those reports
Issued under Clery's timely warning provision rather than as an emergency notification because the parties were known to one another
Lem Morrison Drive runs along Auburn's research campus and intersects with South Donahue Drive near the College of Veterinary Medicine
Context

Background

On the morning of October 28, 2023, Auburn University Campus Safety and Security issued a timely warning for aggravated assault after a 9 AM incident at a hayfield near Lem Morrison Drive and South Donahue Drive on Auburn's research campus. According to the warning, a person known to the reporting party 'made general threatening comments while showing a weapon.' The post described the suspect as a man in his mid-40s, about 5'9" and 160 pounds, wearing a blue hoodie, last seen driving a 2002 Mercury Mountaineer after leaving campus. Although the warning emphasized that no direct threat was made and no injuries occurred, Auburn issued the notification consistent with Clery Act timely warning obligations. The incident was one of multiple aggravated assault notifications Auburn issued during the 2023-2024 academic year, alongside two August 2023 ambush-style assaults along Samford Avenue. Auburn's campus violence guidance directs community members to avoid the area when a timely warning is issued and to report any additional information to Auburn Police Division at 334-501-3100.
Analysis

Key Findings

Auburn's October 28 alert is an example of a timely warning issued for a verbal threat with weapon display rather than a completed assault
Auburn frequently distributes timely warnings via the Campus Safety and Security Facebook page, supplementing email and AU ALERT push channels
The 'known parties' framing was used to explain why no broader emergency notification or shelter-in-place was issued
Outcome
Auburn issued a timely warning via Facebook and email but described the incident as involving known parties with no direct threat to a specific individual. No injuries were reported and the suspect was identified through follow-up investigation.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
  2. Student Paper
  3. Official
  4. Official
Tags
aggravated-assaulttimely-warningalabamapublic-r1weapon-displayauburnfacebook-alert
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion