Campus Alert Archive
Wright State

A Student Carried an Unloaded ROTC Training Rifle Into the Hangar Dining Hall and Sent Midday Lunch Crowd Running

OHweapon scareemergency notificationmedium confidence

At approximately 11:15 AM EDT on Friday, September 15, 2023, Wright State University police were called to The Hangar dining hall after a student entered carrying what appeared to be a rifle. Officers found the student with an unloaded ROTC training dummy rifle with an orange tip -- not affiliated with the ROTC program -- and detained the student. No active threat existed and no one was injured, but the lunch crowd largely evacuated on their own, and the dining hall temporarily closed.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
Wright State University
Public Masters · OH
Wright State 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 ALERTSMS
Approximate reconstruction148 chars
Wright State Alert: Police responding to report of person with a weapon at The Hangar. Avoid the area. Do not enter The Hangar until further notice.

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

Reconstructed, not verbatim: The Wright State Guardian and Dayton Daily News confirm police received the call at approximately 11:15 AM EDT on September 15, 2023. A Wright State Alert was issued about the reported weapon.
A witness heard someone yell 'I've got a gun!' in The Hangar and saw the student with what looked like a rifle with an orange barrel tip.
ALL CLEARSMS
Approximate reconstruction227 chars
Wright State Alert: No threat to campus. Police have detained the individual at The Hangar. The item was an unloaded training rifle, not a firearm. The Hangar is temporarily closed. Resume normal activities elsewhere on campus.

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

Reconstructed all-clear; WDTN and Dayton Daily News confirm Wright State police publicly stated there was no threat to campus after identifying the item as an unloaded training dummy rifle.
The Hangar dining hall closed following the incident and reopened at 8 PM; the student was not affiliated with the WSU ROTC program despite the item being ROTC-style equipment.
Context

Background

At midday on September 15, 2023, a student walked into The Hangar, Wright State University's main dining hall in Allyn Hall, carrying an unloaded ROTC training dummy rifle with an orange barrel tip. A witness heard the student say 'I've got a gun!' in a loud voice, and the midday lunch crowd quickly evacuated on their own. Wright State Police arrived at approximately 11:15 AM EDT, detained the student, and identified the item as an ROTC parade training dummy -- an item with no firing capability. The student had no connection to the WSU ROTC program. The Hangar closed for the rest of the afternoon and reopened at 8 PM. The student faced likely trespass from campus. No injuries occurred. The incident unfolded just weeks into the fall 2023 semester and was one of multiple weapon-related calls at Wright State -- a campus that had experienced a real shooting inside a dormitory in January 2024 -- heightening community sensitivity to any weapon reports. Wright State is a public masters-level university in Dayton, Ohio, with approximately 14,000 students.
Outcome
The student was detained and would likely be trespassed from campus. The unloaded training rifle was determined to be an ROTC parade dummy with an orange barrel tip. The Hangar closed briefly and reopened at 8 PM. No injuries were reported.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Student Paper
    Police Respond to Weapon in Hangar, No Active Threat - The Wright State Guardian
    wsuguardian.com
  2. News
    1 detained after bringing unloaded training rifle to Wright State; No threat to campus - Dayton Daily News
    daytondailynews.com
  3. News
    Wright State student describes scare on campus - Dayton 24/7 Now
    dayton247now.com
  4. News
    No threat after student brings training rifle onto Wright State's campus - WHIO
    whio.com
Tags
weapon-scaretraining-rifledining-hallfalse-alarmohiodaytonrotcno-injuries
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion