More Details on Today's Police Activity Near Campus
Sent: April 6, 2021
Today the Auraria Campus Police Department (ACPD) sent two CU Denver Alerts messages to the campus community about an altercation near campus. Now that we have more information about this incident, we want to share what we know:
- Around 4 p.m. today, there was a disturbance on a light rail train near the Empower Field at Mile High Station, which is near the west side of campus. A suspect stabbed another person, who then ran off the train. At that time, it was unclear if there were multiple suspects or victims.
- In an abundance of caution, ACPD sent out a campus text alert at 4:12 p.m., noting that the campus was on lockdown and instructing people to “run, hide, or fight if appropriate.”
- Later, one victim was transported to a hospital. And police apprehended the suspect. It does not appear that either person is affiliated with CU Denver or the other Auraria institutions.
- Shortly before 5 p.m., ACPD sent out a second text alert indicating that there was a suspect in custody and that campus was open again. The Denver Police Department, which has investigative jurisdiction, also tweeted around that time that the suspect was in custody and there was no longer a threat.
We understand that receiving a text message instructing you to consider to “run, hide, or fight” can be unsettling. However, when police are just beginning to hear reports of a stabbing or other violence, they must err on the side of caution in notifying the campus community for their situational awareness. We encourage the entire campus community to learn more about active harmer incident response. On April 13, the campus Emergency Management Division will host a virtual training focused on preparation and actions to consider if ever faced with an active harmer situation. More details.
Jennifer Sobanet
Senior Vice Chancellor of Administration and Finance
CU Denver
Essi Ellis
Director of Emergency Management
CU Denver | Anschutz