A lockdown at McDaniel College was lifted early Sunday morning after shots were fired toward a dormitory building on the Westminster, Maryland campus, police said.
College officials say the shooting stemmed from a confrontation between a group of students and four men. According to police reports, a group of students were walking back to the campus from a local restaurant when four men tried to start a fight them on Monroe Street. One of the men showed a gun during the confrontation, police said.
The students walked away from the fight and returned to Whiteford Hall. A few moments later, shots were fired into the lobby, police said. No injuries were reported.
A campus wide text alert was issued asking students to ‘shelter in place’ as police investigated the incident.
“The safety and security of our students is always paramount,” McDaniel Vice President of Student Affairs and Dean of Students Beth Gerl said in a statement. “Thanks to campus-wide emergency preparedness education and the quick work of our highly-skilled Campus Safety and partnership with local law enforcement, we can report no student suffered physical harm.”
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact campus safety officials at 410-857-2202.
Police are also investigating a second incident on McDaniel’s campus that was reported just before the shooting. A student told police a gray minivan pulled up next to him as he walked along Pennsylvania Avenue. Three men reportedly jumped out and demanded his belongings. One of the men said he was armed with a knife.
The student ran to a friend’s apartment and was not injured, police said.