UPDATE: Overnight alert stems from off-campus incident
The VCU Police Department was alerted early this morning about a dispute near campus that could have involved a weapon. Two people were involved in the incident near the 3200 block of West Marshall Street. Shortly before 3 a.m. today a man reported to the Richmond Police Department that another man had threatened to shoot him after a dispute.
Liz Butterfield
Online News Editor
The VCU Police Department was alerted early this morning about a dispute near campus that could have involved a weapon.
Two people were involved in the incident near the 3200 block of West Marshall Street. Shortly before 3 a.m. today a man reported to the Richmond Police Department that another man had threatened to shoot him after a dispute. No firearm was used during the assault or reported by anyone else at the scene according to a statement by the Richmond police.
The VCU community was alerted via VCU alert text message around 3:27 a.m. The alert advised to stay clear of the area around Franklin and Shafer streets. The situation was resolved by 3:41 a.m. At no time was an armed person on the campus overnight, said VCU PD spokesperson Michael Kelly.
“The university took appropriate steps to protect our community and sent a text alert while Richmond and VCU police responded to the area,” Kelly said in an email. “It was quickly determined no threat existed to the VCU community and the ‘all clear’ follow-up text was sent.”
The incident is now being investigated by the Richmond Police Department.
Statement from the Richmond Police Department
“Shortly before 3 a.m. today, a male reported a known male assaulted him in the 3200 block of West Marshall Street after a disagreement between the pair. The offender left the scene. The offender then called the victim, threatened to shoot him and said that he was in the 800 block of West Grace Street. Though officers searched the area for more than an hour, the offender could not be found. A firearm was not used during the assault nor did anyone see a firearm during the entire incident. The investigation remains ongoing.”
