After backlash from students and families, Penn State issued a statement Friday afternoon explaining the decision not to use the university’s PSUAlert system following a deadly shooting Thursday night in State College.
‘We understand that the tragic events that occurred last night may have instilled fear and concern in members of the campus community,’ the statement said. ‘We are deeply saddened by the senseless acts of violence that have occurred and our thoughts are with the victims and their families.
‘University police, working with State College police, were monitoring the rapidly unfolding off-campus incident. After careful consideration based on the circumstances known to law enforcement at the time, location of the incidents, and the lack of an imminent threat to Penn State students or the campus, it was decided that an alert would not be sent.’
It further added that decisions are made on a case-by-case basis and that the university reviews responses after incidents occur to make adjustments as needed.
State College police said that at about 10:15 p.m. Thursday at P.J. Harrigan’s Bar and Grill on South Atherton Street, 21-year-old Jordan Witmer, of Bellefonte, shot and killed 62-year-old Dean Beachy, of Millersburg, Ohio, and critically injured a male and female who have not been identified. The female is believed to have been Witmer’s current or former girlfriend.
Witmer then fled in a car and crashed into a fence on Waupelani Drive. From there he broke into a home on Tussey Lane and fatally shot 83-year-old George McCormick. Witmer then shot and killed himself before police arrived.
The university did not send out a text message and web alert, and did not acknowledge the shooting until about two hours later on Twitter.
That led to a deluge of social media posts from students and parents who were aware of the shooting and frustrated by a lack of communication from the university before the shooter had been confirmed dead.
A Penn State spokeswoman said earlier on Friday that the alert system is used for incidents at ‘Clery-reportable locations,’ referring to the federal campus security disclosure law. Those locations would include on campus, on public property within or immediately adjacent to the campus, and in or on non-campus buildings or property that the university owns or controls.
“The safety of our students is a top priority at Penn State. Our thoughts are with those in the State College community impacted by this tragedy,” the spokesperson said on Friday morning. “State College Police responded to the shooting in the borough last night as it was not on Penn State’s campus. The alert system includes incidents that are within Clery-reportable locations. Nevertheless, we understand our community concerns and the University will continue to review processes.”
The distance from P.J. Harrigan’s to the nearest edge of the University Park campus is a little less than 2 miles.
