Campus Alert Archive
Northwestern

Bullet Casings Found Near Bienen School of Music After Sunday Night 'Active Threat' Alert Terrifies Campus

ILshootingemergency notificationmedium confidence
Under Investigation

Northwestern issued an "Active Threat" AlertNU at 10:53 p.m. on a Sunday evening after reports of shots fired near the Bienen School of Music on Arts Circle Drive. Police found bullet casings but no victims, and the all-clear was issued at 11:42 p.m. after a 49-minute campus lockdown.

Alerts
3
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
Northwestern University
Private R1 · IL
~22,601 studentsAlertNU
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

3 messages in sequence · 2 verified verbatim

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
Verified verbatimNorthwestern University official X/Twitter account post159 chars
AlertNU: There is an Active Threat event on the Evanston Campus. Run, Hide, Fight. Take proper shelter. Lock and/or barricade doors. Await further information.
Verbatim text confirmed from the @NorthwesternU X/Twitter post (status 1761977610198782435) on February 25, 2024
Sent at 10:53 p.m. CST on February 25, 2024, the alert used the 'Run, Hide, Fight' framework that has become standard for active threat notifications at U.S. universities
The use of 'Active Threat' rather than 'Active Shooter' leaves open the possibility of various threat types while still conveying maximum urgency
UPDATESMS+14 min
Approximate reconstruction182 chars
AlertNU Update: Northwestern Police are on the scene near the Bienen School of Music on Arts Circle Drive. Shelter in place until further notice. Evanston Police are also responding.

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

Sent 14 minutes after the initial alert at 11:07 p.m. CST on February 25, 2024, this update specified the location near the Bienen School of Music at 70 Arts Circle Drive
The shift from 'Run, Hide, Fight' to 'Shelter in place' indicates police had established a perimeter and determined the situation was more contained
ALL CLEARSMS+49 min
Verified verbatimNorthwestern University official X/Twitter account177 chars
All clear issued following report of shots fired near 70 Arts Circle Dr in Evanston. No injured person located. Police remain on scene investigating. Continue to avoid the area.
Verbatim text from the @NorthwesternU X/Twitter all-clear post on February 25, 2024
Issued at 11:42 p.m. CST on February 25, 2024, ending a 49-minute lockdown from the initial active threat alert
Bullet casings were later recovered from the scene, validating the initial alert, though no victims or suspects were located
Context

Background

On the evening of Sunday, February 25, 2024, reports of shots fired near the Bienen School of Music on Northwestern's Evanston campus triggered an active threat alert that locked down the campus for nearly 50 minutes. The incident occurred along Arts Circle Drive, near the lakefront area of the Evanston campus. Both Northwestern University Police and Evanston Police responded to the scene and found bullet casings but no injured person or suspect. In a Monday morning email to the community, Chief of Police Bruce Lewis confirmed that no suspect was in custody but the investigation was continuing. The incident came less than a year after a fatal shooting on Clark Street Beach in April 2023 that killed a man and wounded two teenagers, prompting a previous shelter-in-place order. Students expressed frustration that gun violence continued to reach the campus perimeter. The proximity of the lakefront to campus buildings has been a recurring security concern for Northwestern.
Analysis

Key Findings

The 49-minute lockdown from initial alert to all-clear was relatively fast for an active threat response, reflecting rapid police deployment
The 'Run, Hide, Fight' language in the initial alert represents the current best practice for active threat notifications, giving students actionable options
Bullet casings confirmed actual gunfire occurred, distinguishing this from a false alarm, though no victims or suspects were found
This was the second major shooting-related shelter-in-place at Northwestern in under a year, following the April 2023 Clark Street Beach shooting
Outcome
No injuries were reported. Bullet casings were recovered from the scene. No suspect was taken into custody, and the investigation continued.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Student Paper
    Northwestern issues all clear message for shooting threat on Evanston campus - Daily Northwestern
    dailynorthwestern.com
  2. News
    Northwestern shooting: NU police investigate report of shots fired - ABC7 Chicago
    abc7chicago.com
  3. News
    Police find bullet casings on NU campus after shots fired report - Evanston RoundTable
    evanstonroundtable.com
  4. News
    Northwestern University community shaken after shots fired Sunday - Chicago Sun-Times
    chicago.suntimes.com
Tags
shootingactive-threatshelter-in-placebullet-casingsevanstonelite-privateillinoislakefrontUnder Investigation
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion