The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) campus, as well as the William S. Boyd School of Law, were put on lockdown after multiple people were shot at Beam Hall and the Student Union on December 6, according to a report by Elizabeth Haigh, JURIST’s Chief of Staff for the US and a 3L student at the law school. The full article can be found here.
According to Haigh’s account in the article, the UNLV police department issued an alert at 11:50 AM local time indicating that shots had been fired at Beam Hall and advised students to evacuate to a safe area. Despite initial disbelief, by 11:57 AM, the police department confirmed an active shooter situation on campus.
The news resulted in an immediate lockdown, with students at the William S. Boyd School of Law sheltering in a single room, even as they were in the middle of their final exams. Haigh describes the anxiety and fear as students began contacting each other to confirm safety, relaying the nerve-racking experience of hearing of friends running to escape the active shooter threat.
Haigh expressed the shock and horror of having a school shooting unfold on a campus she attends and having to witness routines being disrupted and replaced with police operations and a campus on high alert.
This event brings focus back upon the pressing issue of school shootings and safety protocols within academic settings. It further emphasizes the importance of preparedness, communication, and effective response measures in ensuring the safety of students and faculty members alike.