Campus Alert Archive
UofM

Predawn Road Rage Shooting Triggers Shelter-in-Place as Shots Ring Out Near Campus Parking Lot

TNshootingemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

On November 1, 2024, at approximately 2:30 AM CST, shots were fired during a road rage dispute near the University of Memphis campus at Highland Street and South Galloway Drive, triggering a shelter-in-place order. No injuries were reported. One person was taken into custody while a second suspect fled toward Highland and Walnut Grove. The shelter-in-place was lifted just after 6:00 AM CST.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
University of Memphis
Public R1 · TN
~22,000 studentsEverbridgeUofM Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence · 1 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 ALERTEmail
Verified verbatimWREG News Channel 3 direct quote of the UofM email alert sent to students around 5:30 AM CST on November 1, 2024177 chars
Police are on the scene and investigating at lot 21 on Patterson. Shots were fired into the air after an incident occurred. The suspect fled from the area on foot toward campus.
Verbatim text quoted directly by WREG News Channel 3 from the UofM email alert; the article confirms this was sent 'around 5:30 a.m.' and that 'the email continues, instructing students to shelter in place' — the shelter-in-place directive followed the quoted portion but was not reproduced verbatim by WREG
Notably absent from confirmed text: the 'UofM ALERT' salutation prefix and road-rage characterization; WREG quoted 'after an incident occurred,' not 'after a road rage incident' — the road-rage description appeared in WREG's own reporting, not the alert itself
Memphis Police responded just before 2:30 AM CST on November 1, 2024 to Highland Street and South Galloway Drive; the email alert was sent approximately three hours later, after the suspect had fled on foot
ALL CLEAREmail
Approximate reconstruction159 chars
UofM ALERT: The shelter-in-place order has been lifted. One person is in custody. Police continue to investigate. Resume normal activities but remain vigilant.

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

The shelter-in-place lasted approximately three and a half hours, from about 2:30 AM to just after 6:00 AM CST
One suspect was taken into custody; a second suspect fled toward Highland and Walnut Grove and was not immediately found
Context

Background

In the early morning hours of November 1, 2024, Memphis Police responded to reports of shots fired at Highland Street and South Galloway Drive, just outside the University of Memphis campus. The shots were fired into the air during a road rage dispute, and no one was injured. The university immediately issued a shelter-in-place order via email to students, directing them to remain indoors while police investigated at Lot 21 on Patterson. The University of Memphis campus remained under shelter-in-place for approximately three and a half hours, from about 2:30 AM until just after 6:00 AM CST. One person was taken into custody, but a second suspect fled the area and was last seen near Highland and Walnut Grove. While no injuries resulted, the incident disrupted early morning campus activities and raised ongoing concerns about gun violence in the Highland Street corridor adjacent to campus.
Analysis

Key Findings

No injuries resulted from the shooting, but the shelter-in-place disrupted campus for over three hours during the early morning
The incident was a road rage dispute involving non-university individuals, reflecting how off-campus violence affects university operations
One suspect remained at large after the shelter-in-place was lifted, raising questions about when to issue an all-clear
Outcome
No injuries reported. One person was taken into custody. A second suspect fled the area and was last seen near Highland and Walnut Grove. The shelter-in-place order was lifted after approximately three and a half hours.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    UofM's shelter-in-place lifted after shots fired near campus (Fox13 Memphis)
    fox13memphis.com
  2. News
    Road rage incident leads to shooting near UofM campus (WREG)
    wreg.com
  3. News
    U of M lifts alert about shooter on the run (Action News 5)
    actionnews5.com
Tags
shootingroad-ragetennesseeshelter-in-placeno-injuriesoff-campuspredawn
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion