Campus Alert Archive
Durham Tech

Shelter in Place, Then Run: Durham Tech's Two-Step Bomb-Threat Response

NCbomb threatemergency notificationmedium confidence

On Thursday, June 30, 2022, Durham Technical Community College received a bomb threat against its main campus on Lawson Street in Durham, North Carolina. The college first told everyone to shelter in place around 11 a.m., then reversed course about an hour later and ordered an immediate evacuation. Durham police searched the campus, found no device, and the college closed for the rest of the day. The threat was one of several aimed at North Carolina community colleges that day.

Alerts
3
Response
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Killed
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Injured
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Institution
Durham Technical Community College
Community College · NC
Durham Tech Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

3 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 ALERTPush
Approximate reconstruction155 chars
DURHAM TECH ALERT: A bomb threat has been made against the Main Campus. SHELTER IN PLACE. Remain where you are, lock doors, and await further instructions.

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

ABC11 reported that around 11 a.m. EDT on June 30, 2022 Durham Tech posted an alert telling everyone on the main campus to shelter in place; the exact wording was not published, so this is reconstructed.
The initial response was shelter-in-place, which the college reversed roughly an hour later in favor of evacuation.
UPDATEPush
Approximate reconstruction147 chars
DURHAM TECH ALERT: EVACUATE NOW. All staff and students on the Main Campus must exit immediately. Leave the area and do not re-enter until cleared.

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

A second alert around noon EDT on June 30, 2022 told staff and students to exit immediately, replacing the earlier shelter-in-place instruction.
Switching from shelter-in-place to evacuation is the standard escalation for a credible bomb threat, where staying in place can increase rather than reduce risk.
ALL CLEARPush+4h 30m
Approximate reconstruction182 chars
DURHAM TECH ALERT: Durham police found no explosive device on the Main Campus. The campus is closed for the remainder of the day. Updates will be posted before tomorrow's operations.

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

Durham police investigated and found no explosive device; the timestamp here is approximate and follows the afternoon all-clear described in news coverage.
President J.B. Buxton issued a public statement on the threat the same day, and the college closed for the rest of the day on June 30, 2022.
Context

Background

Durham Technical Community College's main campus sits on Lawson Street in Durham, North Carolina. On Thursday, June 30, 2022, the college received a bomb threat and posted an emergency alert around 11 a.m. EDT telling everyone to shelter in place; buildings 6 and 10 were evacuated first, and a second alert around noon ordered the whole campus to exit immediately. Durham police searched the campus and found no explosive device, and President J.B. Buxton issued a public statement on the threat. The threat was not isolated: Johnston, Martin, and Vance-Granville community colleges received threats the same day, part of a broader 2022 wave of bomb threats against North Carolina campuses.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Durham Technical Community College main campus evacuated due to bomb threat - ABC11
    abc11.com
  2. News
    Durham Technical Community College evacuated as police investigate bomb threat - WRAL
    wral.com
  3. News
    Multiple NC community colleges receive bomb threats - WUNC
    wunc.org
  4. Official
    Statement from President J.B. Buxton on today's bomb threat to Durham Tech's Main Campus - Durham Technical Community College
    durhamtech.edu
Tags
bomb-threatnorth-carolinacommunity-collegeevacuationshelter-in-placedurham
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion