Campus Alert Archive
Hesston

375 Students Sheltered as Mass Shooting Erupted Blocks Away at Excel Industries

KSlockdownemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

On February 25, 2016, Hesston College was placed on lockdown at approximately 5:20 PM CST after a mass shooting at nearby Excel Industries left three dead and fourteen injured. The small Mennonite college, located just blocks from the factory, sheltered approximately 375 students and staff for about 90 minutes until the threat was neutralized.

Alerts
2
Response
23 min
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
Hesston College
Private Liberal Arts · KS
~440 students
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 reconstruction216 chars
ALERT: Hesston College is on lockdown due to a shooting incident at a nearby business. All students and staff should remain indoors. Lock doors and stay away from windows. Do not leave buildings until further notice.

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

The lockdown was initiated as a precautionary measure because the Excel Industries plant is located just blocks from the college campus
Approximately 375 students and staff were on campus at the time of the lockdown at 5:20 PM CST on February 25, 2016
ALL CLEARSMS
Approximate reconstruction167 chars
ALL CLEAR: The lockdown at Hesston College has been lifted. The suspect has been neutralized by law enforcement. Campus is safe. Counseling services will be available.

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

The lockdown lasted approximately 90 minutes according to Jim Mason, Hesston College's director of facilities
The all-clear was issued after the shooter was confirmed dead inside the Excel Industries building
Context

Background

Hesston College is a small two-year Mennonite college in Hesston, Kansas, with an enrollment of approximately 440 students. On February 25, 2016, a mass shooting at Excel Industries, a lawnmower manufacturer located just blocks from campus, resulted in three deaths and fourteen injuries. The shooter, Cedric Larry Ford, began his rampage at approximately 4:57 PM CST with drive-by shootings in nearby Newton before arriving at the factory. Hesston Police Chief Doug Schroeder was the first officer to respond and engaged the shooter, killing him at 5:23 PM CST. The college, along with Hesston Public Schools and Newton Medical Center, was placed on precautionary lockdown. Jim Mason, the college's director of facilities, confirmed that approximately 375 students and staff sheltered in place for about 90 minutes. The incident highlighted the vulnerability of small college campuses to nearby workplace violence events.
Analysis

Key Findings

A small Mennonite college with approximately 440 students was locked down due to a mass shooting at a factory just blocks away
The lockdown lasted approximately 90 minutes, covering about 375 students and staff on campus
The proximity of the college to Excel Industries (within a few blocks) made the precautionary lockdown necessary despite the shooting not involving the campus directly
The incident demonstrated how workplace violence in small communities can immediately affect nearby educational institutions
Outcome
No injuries occurred on the Hesston College campus. The shooter, Cedric Larry Ford, was killed by Hesston Police Chief Doug Schroeder inside the Excel Industries building at 5:23 PM CST. The campus lockdown was lifted after approximately 90 minutes.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Source
    Hesston shootings - Wikipedia
    en.wikipedia.org
  2. News
    Sheriff: 4 dead, 14 wounded in Kansas shooting - CBS News
    cbsnews.com
  3. News
    Hesston Stronger: The Excel shootings 10 years later - KAKE
    kake.com
  4. News
    Kansas town after shootings: We are going to get through this - CNN
    edition.cnn.com
Tags
lockdownprivate-liberal-artsmennoniteworkplace-violenceoff-campus-incidentkansasmass-shooting-nearby
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion