Campus Alert Archive
Tennessee Tech

Barricade and Defend: Road Rage Bullet Through a Cookeville Business Window Triggers Active Threat Alert at Tennessee Tech

TNshootingemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

On February 13, 2024, a road rage incident near Tennessee Tech's campus led to a bullet being fired through a business window at the intersection of 7th Street and North Walnut Avenue in Cookeville, Tennessee. Campus police issued an active threat alert at approximately 7 PM CST instructing students to 'barricade and defend if necessary.' The all-clear came roughly 15 minutes later.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
Tennessee Technological University
Public R2 · TN
~9,700 studentsTTU Alert
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 ALERTPush
Approximate reconstruction107 chars
TTU ALERT: Active threat near 7th Street. Barricade and defend if necessary. Evacuate the area if possible.

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

Reconstructed from WSMV and Fox17 coverage; the alert was sent just after 7 PM for reports of an active threat near 7th Street
The alert used the high-urgency 'barricade and defend' language typically reserved for active shooter situations
ALL CLEARPush
Approximate reconstruction122 chars
TTU ALL CLEAR: The active threat near 7th Street has been resolved. A suspect is in custody. Normal operations may resume.

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

Reconstructed from news coverage; the all-clear came roughly 15 minutes after the initial alert
Police initially reported an accidental discharge but later determined the shooting was deliberate road rage
Context

Background

On the evening of February 13, 2024, Tennessee Tech campus police responded to reports of gunfire near 7th Street and North Walnut Avenue in Cookeville, Tennessee, and issued an active threat alert instructing students to barricade and defend. A bullet had been fired through a window of a business near the university while customers and employees were inside, but no one was injured. The all-clear was issued roughly 15 minutes later. Police initially reported the shooting as an accidental discharge but later determined that the firearm was intentionally fired during a road rage incident. Chaz Colton Miller, 30, of Cookeville was arrested and charged with 10 counts of reckless endangerment, a class C felony. He was held on a $150,000 bond. The incident highlighted how gunfire near campus, even when unrelated to the university, can trigger high-level emergency protocols that disrupt the entire campus community.
Analysis

Key Findings

The active threat alert was issued and resolved within approximately 15 minutes
The 'barricade and defend' language reflected the highest urgency level despite the incident being road rage
Police initially mischaracterized the shooting as an accidental discharge before determining it was intentional
Outcome
No injuries were sustained despite a bullet passing through a business window with customers inside. Chaz Colton Miller, 30, of Cookeville was arrested and charged with 10 counts of reckless endangerment, a class C felony, with bond set at $150,000.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Apparent road rage shooting near Tennessee Tech triggers campus-wide alert (WSMV)
    wsmv.com
  2. News
    Man arrested for road rage incident after shot fired near Tennessee Tech University (Fox17)
    fox17.com
  3. News
    Customers in peril as bullet rips through Cookeville business (Upper Cumberland Business Journal)
    ucbjournal.com
Tags
shootingroad-ragetennesseecookevilleno-injuriesnear-campusactive-threatbarricade-and-defend
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion