Shots were fired Thursday afternoon at the University of Massachusetts Boston, prompting a large law enforcement response and the evacuation of students and staff from a residence hall on the Dorchester campus.
Boston police and campus officials said gunfire was reported at about 3:45 p.m. near Morrissey Boulevard, and multiple UMass Boston alerts identified the incident as a "public safety threat" in or near the East Building, a dormitory. State troopers described the report as an unconfirmed shooting. Authorities urged people to avoid the area while SWAT teams and officers with rifles moved onto campus.
Local television footage showed dozens of students and staff leaving campus buildings with their hands raised as officers secured the scene. UMass Boston officials said law enforcement was coordinating with campus partners to ensure the safety of students, faculty and staff. There were no immediate, confirmed reports of injuries as authorities worked to determine what happened.
The shooting report came amid a broader wave of threats and security incidents affecting U.S. colleges on Thursday. Earlier in the day, Alabama State University temporarily shut down after a reported "terrorist threat," and several Historically Black Colleges and Universities received threats that led to lockdowns or canceled activities, including Hampton University, Virginia State University, Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge and Bethune-Cookman University in Florida. A shelter-in-place order was also issued for Stockton University’s Galloway campus as local police investigated an off-campus shooting.
The UMass Boston campus, which enrolled 15,575 students in fall 2024, is located in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston. The university and state and local police said they would continue to investigate the report and provide updates to the campus community. Officials asked anyone with information to contact police and to follow campus alert systems for further instructions.
Authorities had not released additional details late Thursday, and investigations were ongoing. Police advised residents and commuters to avoid the immediate area around Morrissey Boulevard while responders remained on scene.