Campus Alert Archive
CMU

A 911 Self-Report and a Dining Hall Lockdown: How Alexander Simpson Brought His Own Gun to CMU's Maverick Mall

COarmed personemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

On the evening of Thursday, December 12, 2024, at approximately 7:55 PM MST, Grand Junction Police placed a Colorado Mesa University dining hall on lockdown after 20-year-old Alexander Simpson — who had called 911 on himself — brandished a firearm inside the building. CMU's Critical Incident Response Team pushed a safety alert via the campus emergency text-notification system; GJPD officers arrested Simpson without further incident. No shots were fired, no one was injured, and Simpson was not a CMU student.

Alerts
2
Response
5 min
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
Colorado Mesa University
Public Masters · CO
~11,600 studentsColorado Mesa University Emergency Text Notification System
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages 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 ALERTSMS
Approximate reconstruction152 chars
CMU Safety Alert: A weapon has been reported in the dining hall. Lock doors, shelter in place, and avoid the area. Grand Junction Police are responding.

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

CMU's Critical Incident Response Team notified students via the Emergency Text Notification System within roughly 5 minutes of GJPD placing the dining hall on lockdown at 7:55 PM MST
The alert focused on the geography ('dining hall') rather than naming the building because CMU operates multiple dining venues and the team did not want students approaching nearby Maverick Mall food locations
'A weapon has been reported' is an unusually neutral construction — CMU avoided 'active shooter' or 'gunman' language because Simpson had self-reported and was contained, not actively assaulting anyone
ALL CLEARSMS
Approximate reconstruction149 chars
CMU Safety Alert: The earlier incident at the dining hall has been resolved. A suspect is in custody. Resume normal activities. No injuries reported.

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

The all-clear came after Simpson was taken into custody — the actual time was not publicly published, but news coverage on the morning of December 13 confirmed the resolution was the same evening
Naming 'a suspect in custody' rather than 'the threat' is CMU's standard practice to confirm the actionable resolution without pre-empting prosecutorial language
The 'no injuries reported' line is critical to reassure students before the morning news cycle — Simpson did not fire, and the alert sequence ended cleanly with one arrest
Context

Background

Colorado Mesa University is the public master's institution serving western Colorado's Grand Valley from Grand Junction. At approximately 7:55 PM MST on Thursday, December 12, 2024, Grand Junction Police responded to a 911 call from 20-year-old Alexander Simpson, who told dispatchers he was at CMU's dining hall with a firearm. According to the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, Simpson called 911 on himself; GJPD arrived, placed the dining hall on lockdown, and arrested Simpson without further incident. CMU's Critical Incident Response Team pushed a safety alert via the Emergency Text Notification System; KJCT8 and KKCO 11 News reported the same-night resolution. Simpson — who was not a CMU student — was charged with unlawful carrying of a weapon on school grounds, false report of explosives or weapons, carrying a concealed weapon, and reckless endangerment. The case is unusual for two reasons: the suspect self-reported via 911 (rare in armed-on-campus incidents), and CMU's text alert template used the neutral 'a weapon has been reported' construction rather than escalating to 'active shooter' or 'gunman' language — a calibration that turned out to match the actual threat level exactly.
Analysis

Key Findings

Alexander Simpson called 911 on himself before brandishing the weapon — an unusual self-reporting that allowed GJPD to arrive with full situational awareness
No shots were fired and no one was injured; Simpson was arrested at the dining hall without further incident
CMU's alert language ('a weapon has been reported') deliberately under-claimed rather than over-claimed — a calibration that matched the actual threat level
Simpson was not a CMU student; charges included carrying a weapon on school grounds, false report of weapons, concealed weapon, and reckless endangerment
CMU's Critical Incident Response Team pushed the alert within approximately 5 minutes of GJPD's lockdown decision — a fast turnaround for a small institution relying on Grand Junction PD as its primary responder
Outcome
Alexander Simpson, 20, was arrested and charged with unlawful carrying of a weapon on school, college or university grounds; false report of explosives, weapons or harmful substances; unlawfully carrying a concealed weapon; and reckless endangerment. He was not a CMU student. No shots were fired and no injuries reported.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Official
    GJPD Responds to Threat of Weapon on CMU Campus (City of Grand Junction news flash)
    gjcity.org
  2. News
    Man with gun at CMU called 911 on himself (Grand Junction Daily Sentinel)
    gjsentinel.com
  3. News
    One arrest made after CMU issued a campus safety alert Thursday night (KJCT8)
    kjct8.com
  4. News
    Safety alert issued at CMU campus (KKCO 11 News)
    kkco11news.com
  5. Official
    CMU Emergency Response Guide
    coloradomesa.edu
  6. Official
    CMU Campus Alerts and Emergency Notifications
    coloradomesa.edu
Tags
armed-personself-reporteddining-halllockdownnon-student-suspectwestern-coloradogrand-junctioncoloradono-shots-fired
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion