UT Austin Shooting Incident Timeline
On the morning of Tuesday, Sept. 28, 19-year-old sophomore Colton Tooley shot himself to death with an AK-47 on the sixth floor of the University of Texas at Austin’s (UT Austin) Perry Castaneda Library (PCL). Here is the timeline of events before, during and after the shooting (most times are approximate):
Note: This is a sidebar for UT Austin: Proof Positive that Training, Relationships and Technology Pay Off.
7:22 a.m. Tooley got on the bus by his house. While riding the bus, his weapon was in his backpack. A cardboard tube was wrapped around the barrel of the gun, which disguised the fact that he had a weapon.
8:09 a.m. Tooley got off the bus about three or four blocks from PCL. He then put on a black suit coat and ski mask, and started walking/jogging eastbound on 21st Street. By that time, the suspect had pulled out his weapon from his backpack. While he was on 21st Street, he stopped three times, firing shots into the air and into the ground (11 shots were fired). None of the shots were directed at other people.
8:12 a.m. Tooley arrived at PCL.
8:12 a.m. The first 911 call was made to the Austin Police Department (APD).
8:12 a.m. The first 911 call was made to the UT Austin Police Department (UTPD). Around that time, the gunman entered PCL. A UTPD officer and two APD officers who were nearby were told by students and faculty that Tooley had entered the library, so they went into PCL.
8:14 a.m. Two more UTPD officers joined the other officers.
8:15 a.m. Another team of three officers joined the others. When police arrived at the sixth floor, a student told officers, “I think the guy is over there, and I think he’s dead.” Officials speculate that no one heard the shot that killed Tooley because of the acoustics of the library and due to the fact that the gunman shot himself under the chin.
8:17 a.m. The first emergency alert text was sent, telling recipients to barricade themselves and shelter in place.
8:18 a.m. The incident command center was established (opened at 8:20 a.m.).
8:22 a.m. Officers found Tooley, who was dead. However, because there were several different descriptions of the gunman, police could not rule out that there might be accomplices.
8:25 a.m. Sirens and loudspeakers began being sounded every 10 minutes for the first hour telling everyone on campus to shelter in place. After that, they went off every 15 minutes. Classes were cancelled for the rest of the day.
8:30 a.m. UTPD announcement was posted on Facebook.
8:37 a.m. A campus-wide E-mail from the vice president for university operations was sent.
8:41 a.m. The second text alert was issued, and a “be safe” message was posted on UTPD’s Web site.
8:50 a.m. Information about the emergency was displayed on flat screen TVs on campus.
9:05 a.m. A summary of the emergency was posted on UT Austin’s home page.
9:07 a.m. UT Austin’s Twitter feed was updated.
9:25 a.m. UT Austin’s Home page was updated.
9:27 a.m. UT Austin’s Twitter feed was updated.
9:43 a.m. UT Austin’s Home page was updated.
9:48 a.m. UT Austin’s Home page was updated.
9:52 a.m. An E-mail from the university president was sent.
10:08 a.m. UT Austin’s Twitter feed was updated.
10:12 a.m. UT Austin’s Twitter feed was updated.
10:18 a.m. The third text alert was sent.
12:06 p.m. An E-mail from the university president was sent.
12:10 p.m. The fourth text alert was sent.
12:15 p.m. UT Austin president, UTPD police chief and Austin mayor held a press conference.
12:23 p.m. All-clear announcement was made over the loudspeakers and the lockdown was lifted.
Related articles:
- UT Austin: Proof Positive that Training, Relationships and Technology Pay Off
- How UT Austin Keeps Parents Informed About Incidents
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About the Author
Robin Hattersley, Editor-in-Chief
Robin has been covering the security and campus law enforcement industries since 1998 and is a specialist in school, university and hospital security, public safety and emergency management, as well as emerging technologies and systems integration. She joined CS in 2005 and has authored award-winning editorial on campus law enforcement and security funding, officer recruitment and retention, access control, IP video, network integration, event management, crime trends, the Clery Act, Title IX compliance, sexual assault, dating abuse, emergency communications, incident management software and more. Robin has been featured on national and local media outlets and was formerly associate editor for the trade publication Security Sales & Integration. She obtained her undergraduate degree in history from California State University, Long Beach.
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