LOWELL, Mass. — Investigators have recovered a replica weapon and identified a suspect who set off a security scare on the campus of UMass Lowell.
The scary sighting of an individual brandishing a rifle was reported just before 2:30 p.m. Wednesday on the institution's South Campus. Video of the individual quickly began to circulate on social media.
UMass Lowell and law enforcement ordered the campus to shelter in place for several hours as numerous police and federal agencies scoured the area.
One student said he received a text alert from the university and found shelter in a storage room on campus immediately after one of his classes was dismissed.
"Some of us came to the closet, some stayed in a bigger lecture hall. This whole building has been fully locked down the entire time," student Mike Regish said.
Another student barricaded himself inside his dorm room when he received the campus alert.
"It's your first day of college classes ever, my roommates are out and about at classes, and I'm the only one here," said Donny Felscuti.
Deputy Superintendent Mark LeBlanc of the Lowell Police Department said Thursday morning that detectives continued to investigate even after the shelter-in-place order was lifted and patrol officers stayed in the area overnight.
According to LeBlanc, investigators identified a juvenile male in connection with the incident and recovered the firearm. They discovered the rifle was an airsoft replica weapon.
LeBlanc's statement did not provide identifying details about the suspect.
UMass Lowell has approximately 16,900 undergraduate and graduate students, with 3,700 living on campus across 10 residence halls.
