UPDATED SEPTEMBER 4, 2025: Authorities announced on Thursday that they have identified the male minor they believe carried a firearm on the UMass Lowell campus on Wednesday. Police have recovered the weapon, which turned out to be an airsoft replica firearm, reports WMUR.
The 12-year-old boy who led to the campus lockdown has not been identified by police.
ORIGINAL SEPTEMBER 3, 2025 ARTICLE:
LOWELL, Mass. — The shelter-in-place order at the University of Massachusetts Lowell was lifted Wednesday evening after the campus was put on high alert in the afternoon following reports of a person suspected of carrying a firearm on campus grounds.
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Law enforcement officials continue to search for the suspect described as an Asian male, approximately 5 feet 5 inches tall, wearing a gray or white sweatshirt and black shorts, reports WMUR. The individual was reportedly seen carrying a long weapon in the vicinity of Riverview Suites, a dormitory located on Middlesex Street.
Police now believe he has left the area, reports WCVB.
UMass Lowell Campus on Edge as Police Investigate
Despite the alarming nature of the situation, no shots were fired. However, Massachusetts State Police are aware of a circulating video purportedly showing an armed individual walking near the dormitories, reports WCVB. The video of the suspect was taken by a student and has been confirmed to be authentic.
Riverview Suites is home to many students, as UMass Lowell accommodates approximately 3,700 students on campus out of its total enrollment of 16,900 undergraduates and graduates. The search for the suspect expanded beyond the immediate dorm area to include Pawtucket and Broadway streets, as confirmed by Lowell police.
Messages sent through the university’s emergency notification system kept the campus community informed, advising all students and staff to remain indoors and stay alert.
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In response to the troubling incident, a large police presence will be on campus and at the dorms overnight. The residence halls will be on lockdown.
Classes were cancelled for the rest of the day but will resume on Thursday.
This is a developing story.
