On Sept. 23, Mills students received a message that told them to “shelter in place” because there was “an active police incident on Seminary [Ave].”
It also warned students not to go near the campus back gate.
Renee Jadushlever sent the message, dated at 6:18 pm, to everyone who signed up for the emergency notification system. Students reported that they received the e-mails, text messages and voicemails after 6:18 p.m.
During the incident, Public Safety officers believed that there was a double homicide by Seminary Ave. They acknowledged that the story could change as it developed.
Later, the Oakland Police Department confirmed that, as far as they knew, no homicide occurred at this time and place. They said that The Alameda County Sheriff’s Department detained two possible homicide suspects at a nearby residence until the police could get a warrant.
Bay Area news source KTVU posted an article on their website. They reported on a standoff that occurred around the same time near Seminary Ave.
The Campanil is not certain that this is the same incident that lead to the campus-wide lockdown.
At 6:20 PM, Residence Assistants locked down the Ethel Moore and Mary Morse residence halls because they were close to Seminary Ave. By 6:30 PM, many of the other residence halls were also on lockdown.
Several witnesses confirmed that Public Safety evacuated Mills Hall. According to junior Aiden Thomas, who is an RA, the Education Building, the pool, Haas Pavilion were also evacuated and/or on lockdown.
The Tea Shop, however, remained open throughout the lockdown period. According to Katie Mamlok, a cashier at the Tea Shop, many of the workers did not know about the lockdown. Many non-students are not on the emergency notification list, so they do not receive security alerts.
At 8:30 PM students, Mills lifted the lockdown and sent messages, which stated that students were free to leave.
“For those of you in residence on campus, it is best if you just stay home for the remainder of the evening. If you do not live on campus, you can now leave through the front gate,” the email read.
