Washu campus cleared after report of armed person; washu alerts end
University City police officers and other departments responded to a report of an armed person on Washington University’s campus on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, and officers who searched buildings that morning found no one carrying a weapon. The university sent text alerts to students and staff beginning during the response.
Washu response and timing
Several police departments began searching buildings on the Danforth campus after 9: 15 a. m. The first text alert to students and staff went out at 9: 18 a. m. and officers were actively searching with long guns as they started. About 10: 05 a. m., officers were returning to their cars near campus and packing up equipment. By 10: 25 a. m., text alerts gave students an "all clear, " saying that officers didn't find anyone with a weapon.
Agencies on scene
The police response included officers from St. Louis, Clayton and University City. A City of St. Louis tactical SWAT team officer responded, and a police helicopter circled Washington University’s main campus as the search proceeded. Nothing was found.
Where it happened
The incident took place on Washington University's Danforth campus, west of Skinker Boulevard. Officers searched Washington University buildings on the main campus in St. Louis while multiple jurisdictions coordinated the response.
What officials and alerts said
Text alerts were a central part of the university's notification to students and staff. The first alert was sent at 9: 18 a. m., and the later text at 10: 25 a. m. conveyed the "all clear" message that officers did not find anyone carrying a weapon. Officers who searched Washington University buildings Tuesday morning found no one carrying a weapon.
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University City police officers were among the multiple jurisdictions that responded to the report on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, and officers who searched found nothing. A City of St. Louis tactical SWAT team officer and a police helicopter were part of the response, and by midmorning the university's text system issued an "all clear. "
Unclear in the provided context: any additional motive for the report or the identity of the person who made the initial report.
