Campus Alert Archive
OSU

After the Homecoming After-Party: 3:40 AM Shots Outside Carreker East Wound Three at Oklahoma State

OKshootingemergency notificationhigh confidence
Confirmed Threat

At approximately 3:40 AM CDT on Sunday, October 19, 2025, Oklahoma State University Police responded to Carreker East — a three-story apartment-style residence hall on the north side of OSU's Stillwater campus — after three gunshot victims arrived at off-campus locations and reported the incident. The shots were fired outside the hall following a disagreement between individuals at an 'after party' that followed a large off-campus event at the Payne County Expo Center. OSU sent a Cowboy Alert advising the community of the incident.

Alerts
2
Response
min
Killed
0
Injured
3
Institution
Oklahoma State University
Public R1 · OK
~26,000 studentsRaveCowboy Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence · 2 verified verbatim

INITIAL ALERTTwitter/X
Verified verbatimOSU Police and Safety official X account (@OkstateSafety) post on October 19, 2025271 chars
At approximately 3:40 am, the OSU Police Department responded to Carreker East res. hall after shooting victims reported the incident. There is no ongoing threat to campus. If you have any info., contact the OSUPD at 405-744-6523. See https://t.co/iV3RRQgcsg for updates.
Verbatim text from the official @OkstateSafety X post at 9:00 AM CDT on October 19, 2025; the Cowboy Alert system pushes via SMS, email, social media, and digital signage simultaneously
OSUPD's response time was tight: officers arrived 'within minutes' to Carreker East and to the McDonald's where one victim presented, alongside Stillwater Police Department officers
The X post notes 'no ongoing threat to campus' because the shooting was outside the building and the parties involved had dispersed before police arrived
FOLLOW-UPEmail
Verified verbatimStatement from Chief Beckner posted to OSU Campus Safety announcements798 chars
Cowboy family, The investigation continues into a shooting that occurred outside of Carreker East, an apartment-style residence hall on the north side of campus. Let me reiterate that there is no ongoing threat to campus. Based on the investigation thus far, it appears that there was a large off-campus party at the Payne County Expo Center. When that party ended around 2:30 a.m., a group of individuals came to campus to have an 'after party.' Investigators indicate the shots were fired outside of Carreker East hall as a result of a disagreement between individuals. No shots were fired inside the hall. OSUPD arrived within minutes to Carreker East and McDonald's, along with Stillwater PD officers. Officers at Carreker secured the scene and determined there was no ongoing threat to campus.
Posted to OSU Campus Safety on Sunday, October 19, 2025 — Chief Michael (Mike) Beckner's named statement followed the initial Cowboy Alert with operational detail
The 'Cowboy family' opening is OSU's signature community-of-care framing in officer-of-the-chief communications
Notably specific about geography — naming both Carreker East and the McDonald's where one victim presented — to anchor where police presence was visible to community members
Context

Background

Oklahoma State University celebrated Homecoming weekend on October 18, 2025, drawing tens of thousands of alumni, students, and visitors to Stillwater. After the weekend's official events ended, a large off-campus party at the Payne County Expo Center wound down around 2:30 AM CDT on Sunday, October 19, and a group of attendees migrated to OSU's campus for an 'after party' near Carreker East, an apartment-style residence hall on the north side of campus. According to OSUPD Chief Michael Beckner, a disagreement between individuals escalated outside the hall, and at approximately 3:40 AM, multiple shots were fired; police said the gunfire began in a campus breezeway, moved into a parking lot, and ended on a nearby street. Three people sustained gunshot wounds, only one of whom was an OSU student; the victims arrived at off-campus locations — including a nearby McDonald's — before alerting authorities. OSUPD pushed a Cowboy Alert advising the campus community to avoid the area, then issued an all-clear once it was determined the disagreement had ended and no ongoing threat remained. The shooting drew comparisons to the October 2024 LSU Homecoming shooting, reinforcing how flagship Homecoming weekends — with their swollen non-student crowds — have become recurring flashpoints for campus-perimeter gun violence.
Analysis

Key Findings

The Carreker East shooting occurred at approximately 3:40 AM CDT on October 19, 2025, after victims arrived at off-campus locations and reported the incident — meaning the Cowboy Alert went out reactively rather than at the moment of gunfire
Only one of three gunshot victims was an OSU student; the others were non-affiliated visitors, a pattern characteristic of Homecoming-weekend shootings
Shots were fired outside the building rather than inside, but OSU still triggered a campus-wide Cowboy Alert because Carreker East is OSU-owned residential property
The incident followed an 'after party' that migrated from the Payne County Expo Center to campus, illustrating how off-campus event spillover stresses campus alert protocols
Outcome
Three people were injured by gunfire, including one OSU student. Only one of the three victims was an OSU student. No shots were fired inside Carreker East. OSUPD declared no ongoing threat to campus and worked with the Stillwater Police Department and state agencies on the investigation.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Official
    Incident at Carreker East (Oklahoma State University Campus Safety)
    safety.okstate.edu
  2. Official
    Statement from Chief Beckner: Incident at Carreker East (OSU Campus Safety)
    safety.okstate.edu
  3. Official
    Carreker East Update 10-23-2025 (OSU Campus Safety)
    safety.okstate.edu
  4. News
    3 injured in shooting outside Oklahoma State University residential hall: Police (ABC News)
    abcnews.go.com
  5. News
    Three injured in shooting at Oklahoma State University (NBC News)
    nbcnews.com
  6. News
    3 shot on Oklahoma State University campus Sunday morning (KOSU)
    kosu.org
  7. Student Paper
    Shooting at Carreker East injures multiple; police investigating (O'Colly)
    ocolly.com
  8. Source
    Oklahoma State University Homecoming Shooting Injures 3 (Campus Safety Magazine)
    campussafetymagazine.com
Tags
shootinghomecomingoklahomastillwatercarreker-eastcowboy-alertafter-partynon-student-victimsresidence-hall
Added May 2026Updated June 2026Via ingestion