Campus Alert Archive
KSU Tuscarawas

15-Minute Armed-Threat Lockdown at Kent State Tuscarawas After Report of Planned Student Assault with Gun

OHarmed personemergency notificationmedium confidence
UnfoundedNo evidence of an actual threat was found. The institutional response is documented because the alert communication is identical to what would occur during a real incident.

On the afternoon of April 5, 2016, Kent State University at Tuscarawas and the adjacent Buckeye Career Center in New Philadelphia, Ohio, were placed under a 15-minute lockdown beginning at approximately 1:30 p.m. after New Philadelphia Police notified the campus of a credible report that someone planned to assault a student with a gun. Police identified a subject of interest in Newcomerstown and went to his home, where they determined he was not traveling toward the campus; the lockdown was lifted without incident and no charges were filed.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
Kent State University at Tuscarawas
Community College · OH
~2,000 studentsFlash ALERTS
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 reconstruction188 chars
FLASHALERT: KSU Tuscarawas campus is on lockdown. New Philadelphia Police have notified campus of a threat. Remain in secured location. Avoid windows and doors. Await further instructions.

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

The lockdown was externally prompted: New Philadelphia Police (the municipal jurisdiction for New Philadelphia, OH) notified KSU Tuscarawas of the threat; the campus did not independently discover it
The Buckeye Career Center (Buckeye JVS) was also placed on lockdown due to its geographic proximity to the KSU Tuscarawas campus at 330 University Drive NE in New Philadelphia
The April 5, 2016 date fell during the spring semester; a 1:30 p.m. lockdown would have interrupted afternoon classes
ALL CLEARSMS+15 min
Approximate reconstruction180 chars
FLASHALERT: KSU Tuscarawas lockdown has been lifted. Police have located and assessed the subject of interest and determined there is no threat to campus. Resume normal operations.

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

WTOV9 reported the lockdown lasted approximately 15 minutes, one of the shorter documented lockdown durations in the archive, reflecting rapid external police assessment
Police 'identified a subject of interest in Newcomerstown' -- a city about 20 miles southwest of New Philadelphia -- and went to his home, where they confirmed he was not en route to campus
No charges were filed against the subject; the threat report may have originated from a social media post, conversation, or other secondary source rather than a direct threat
Context

Background

Kent State University at Tuscarawas is a small regional campus of Kent State University's multi-campus system, located at 330 University Drive NE in New Philadelphia, Ohio, in Tuscarawas County. With approximately 2,000 students, it is one of Kent State's seven regional campuses. On the afternoon of Tuesday, April 5, 2016, at approximately 1:30 p.m. EDT, New Philadelphia Police contacted the campus with a report that someone was planning to assault a student on campus with a gun. KSU Tuscarawas immediately activated the Flash ALERTS lockdown system and the adjacent Buckeye Career Center (Buckeye JVS) was also placed on lockdown due to its proximity to the campus. Police identified a subject of interest in Newcomerstown, about 20 miles southwest of New Philadelphia, and traveled to his home. Upon assessment, police determined the individual was not en route to the campus and posed no imminent threat. The lockdown was lifted approximately 15 minutes after it began, and the situation was resolved without injury or arrest. The rapid resolution -- from lockdown to all-clear in 15 minutes -- was enabled by real-time coordination between New Philadelphia Police and campus security. No charges were filed. This incident illustrates how threat reports reaching campus police through municipal law enforcement channels can trigger campus lockdowns at small branch campuses, even when the threat is unverified and the subject never approaches campus.
Outcome
Lockdown lasted approximately 15 minutes. Police located the subject of interest in Newcomerstown and determined he was not en route to campus. No charges were filed. No one injured.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    KSU Tusc, Buckeye Career Center lockdowns resolved without incident (WTOV9)
    wtov9.com
  2. Official
    Kent State Tuscarawas Campus Safety
    kent.edu
  3. Official
    Tuscarawas Campus Emergency Guide (Kent State)
    kent.edu
Tags
armed-personthreat-of-violencelockdownohiokent-statetuscarawasbranch-campusflash-alertsnew-philadelphia2016Unfounded
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion