LOWELL, Mass. — Reports of a person carrying a gun near UMass Lowell on Wednesday afternoon prompted a campus-wide lockdown.
Students tell Boston 25 News they got alerts around 2:30 p.m. of a suspected gunman near the campus and to shelter-in-place.
Wafaa Kalai is a junior who just transferred to UMass Lowell.
She described the harrowing moments the alerts went out.
“We received a bunch of text messages and e-mails saying that we need to stay put, stay in place and yeah, since then, we’re just in the hallway,” she said. “There was nothing like this in my mind coming to a first day of school...I thought that we are more on the safe side. So this definitely wasn’t in my mind, it wasn’t in my plans, but now I’m shook to my core.”
#UPDATE: Students tell me authorities are slowly evacuating buildings on campus.
— Daniel Coates (@danielcoates_25) September 3, 2025
Once freshman, barricaded with 100+ students, sent me these videos. He says it was first day of class.
They’re being evacuated now by police. He says, “We’re okay a little jumpy.” @boston25 pic.twitter.com/z4tyt0baCe
On a separate part of campus, Tyler Bernier, a freshman, was barricaded with more than 100 students inside a lecture hall.
He said it was his first day of class.
Bernier was eventually evacuated, saying he was “okay, but a little jumpy.”
UMass Lowell officials have since lifted the campus lockdown.
An update is expected later on.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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