Campus Alert Archive
UVI-STX

Library Phone Call Triggers Shelter-in-Place at UVI's St. Croix Campus

VIthreat of violenceemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed HoaxDetermined to be a hoax. The institutional response is documented because it reveals how the alert system performed under a perceived real threat.

On the morning of June 28, 2021, an unidentified male caller phoned the UVI library information desk on the Albert A. Sheen Campus on St. Croix and stated that someone was coming to 'shoot up the place.' The entire campus was placed under a shelter-in-place order at approximately 9:30 a.m., and the Virgin Islands Police Department investigated and issued an all-clear at 10:30 a.m. The threat was determined to be unfounded after a search of the campus found no armed individual.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
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Institution
University of the Virgin Islands, Albert A. Sheen Campus
Territory · VI
~500 studentsUVI Emergency Notification
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
Approximate reconstruction269 chars
UVI SHELTER IN PLACE: The University of the Virgin Islands Albert A. Sheen Campus on St. Croix is under a Shelter in Place advisory. All students, faculty and staff are advised to close and secure their doors and to stay where they are. Further information will follow.

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

The threat was phoned to the library information desk, not to campus security or 911 directly -- a detail highlighting the vulnerability of publicly-known campus phone lines as a vector for anonymous threats.
The 9:30 a.m. timestamp is sourced from VI Consortium reporting; VIPD responded promptly given the campus is relatively small with a single security footprint.
Atlantic Standard Time (UTC-4) applies year-round to the US Virgin Islands, which does not observe daylight saving time.
ALL CLEAREmail+1 h
Verified verbatimVI Consortium -- all-clear email text quoted directly in article278 chars
UVI Students and Employees are advised that an 'All Clear' has been announced on the Albert A. Sheen Campus on St. Croix. The VI Police Department has looked into the threat and will continue to investigate. UVI's security has increased and will include additional surveillance.
The all-clear message is verbatim from the VI Consortium report, which quoted the email sent to students and staff at 10:30 a.m. AST, exactly one hour after the initial shelter-in-place.
The note that 'UVI security has increased and will include additional surveillance' reflects standard post-threat protocol for a small HBCU campus with limited police resources.
The promise that VIPD 'will continue to investigate' reflects that the anonymous caller was not identified at the time of the all-clear.
Context

Background

The University of the Virgin Islands Albert A. Sheen Campus on St. Croix, named for USVI civil rights pioneer Albert A. Sheen, is the smaller of UVI's two main campuses, with approximately 500 students. It sits on the island's eastern end at Kingshill. On the morning of June 28, 2021, a male caller contacted the campus library's information desk and told staff that someone planned to 'shoot up' the campus. The university immediately activated a shelter-in-place protocol, emailing the entire community at approximately 9:30 a.m. AST. The Virgin Islands Police Department responded and swept the campus, finding no credible threat. An all-clear email was issued at 10:30 a.m. -- the same hour the shelter-in-place began. The threat remained officially under investigation by VIPD with the caller unidentified. The incident echoed a broader pattern of anonymous phone-in threats targeting campuses in the US territories, where thin staffing and geographic isolation mean even brief lockdowns require full campus mobilization.
Analysis

Key Findings

The threat was phoned to the library information desk rather than to campus security, highlighting publicly-accessible campus phone lines as a threat vector
The shelter-in-place lasted exactly one hour (9:30-10:30 a.m. AST), a relatively swift resolution for a small campus with direct VIPD response
The all-clear email is quoted verbatim in VI Consortium reporting; it is one of the few UVI emergency messages with confirmed exact text
The US Virgin Islands observes Atlantic Standard Time year-round (UTC-4), with no daylight saving time adjustment
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    UVI St. Croix Campus Closes Due To Mass Shooting Threat | Patch
    patch.com
  2. News
    Urgent Lockdown at St. Croix Educational Complex Following Gun Threat Call | VI Consortium
    viconsortium.com
  3. Source
    UVI Albert A. Sheen Campus St. Croix | HBCU Money Guide
    hbcumoneyguide.com
Tags
threat-of-violenceshelter-in-placeall-clearvirgin-islandsst-croixhbcuterritoryanonymous-threatlibraryuviconfirmed-hoaxHoax
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion