INITIAL ALERTEmail
Dear members of the Tufts University community: The Tufts University Police Department is aware of multiple reports to law enforcement regarding the use of pellet BB guns in and around the Medford, Somerville, and Brookline areas; we are sharing this information with our Tufts University community for awareness. Several individuals were approached while they were walking by a dark-colored motor vehicle, possibly an older model Jeep, and struck with an unknown object that came from the area of the vehicle and was described as a BB pellet. The Tufts University Police, together with our law enforcement partners, are actively investigating these incidents and encourages you to report any information that may be helpful by calling the Tufts University Police Department at 617-627-3030 or 617-627-6911 from any on-campus phone.
Tufts labeled this a 'Community Advisory' rather than a Clery 'Timely Warning' because the strikes did not occur on campus property — a deliberate distinction Tufts uses to differentiate Clery-mandated notices from discretionary public-safety information
The vehicle description ('dark-colored motor vehicle, possibly an older model Jeep') was carried verbatim by every Boston outlet, suggesting the press release was the primary source
Issuing the advisory in the move-in week of the academic year — when thousands of new students are unfamiliar with the surrounding neighborhoods — was operationally precise, prioritizing situational awareness during the highest-risk period
Listing both the on-campus and off-campus police phone numbers acknowledges that the geographic boundary of the threat ran through a mixed jurisdiction