Campus Alert Archive
CSC

Five-Hour Armed Manhunt Locks Down Nebraska Panhandle Campus as Gunman Fires Rounds Near Dorms

NEarmed personemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

On Friday evening, May 12, 2023, Chadron State College activated a campus-wide shelter-in-place after Warfield High Hawk, 36, was reported armed with a rifle near Memorial Park and then observed walking south across the east end of campus. High Hawk fired multiple rounds into the air and ground during a nearly five-hour pursuit involving drones, thermal cameras, a canine, and an armored vehicle from multiple agencies before surrendering peacefully around 10 PM CST on South Maple Street. No injuries were reported.

Alerts
2
Response
10 min
Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
Chadron State College
Public Masters · NE
~2,600 students
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTSMS
Approximate reconstruction190 chars
CSC Alert: Active shooter investigation near campus. Shelter in place immediately. Lock all doors, turn off lights, and remain out of sight. Avoid south end of campus. Await further updates.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed from multiple news source descriptions; the alert was issued as officers pursued High Hawk across the south end of campus beginning around 6 PM CST on May 12, 2023
Sources describe a 'code red' notification sent to campus and local residents urging shelter in place, lock doors, turn off lights, and remain out of sight
High Hawk was armed with a rifle stolen from a Chadron resident and fired multiple rounds into the air and ground during the pursuit -- not directed at officers or civilians
Multiple agencies responded including Dawes County Sheriff's Office, Nebraska State Patrol, and units from surrounding counties with drones, thermal cameras, a canine, and an armored vehicle
ALL CLEARSMS
Approximate reconstruction158 chars
CSC Alert: The armed individual near campus has been taken into custody. Campus is safe. The shelter-in-place order is lifted. Thank you for your cooperation.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed from KNEB Rural Radio and Star Herald reporting; High Hawk surrendered to a team of officers including a canine unit on South Maple Street approximately 4-5 hours after the initial alert
No law enforcement officers from any agency fired their weapons at any time during the incident
High Hawk was lodged in the Dawes County Jail following his arrest
Context

Background

Chadron State College is a public master's-granting institution in Chadron, Nebraska -- one of three colleges in the Nebraska State College System -- serving approximately 2,600 students in the remote Nebraska Panhandle. On the evening of Friday, May 12, 2023, officers from the Chadron Police Department responded to a reported active shooter near Memorial Park at 10th and Shelton Streets. The suspect, Warfield High Hawk, 36, was observed armed with a stolen rifle walking south across the east end of the CSC campus. Campus officials activated a shelter-in-place notification, directing everyone to lock doors, turn off lights, and remain out of sight. During the nearly five-hour pursuit, High Hawk fired multiple rounds at various times into the air and into the ground but did not direct fire at law enforcement or civilians. Multiple agencies from across the region contributed drones, thermal cameras, a canine unit, and an armored vehicle to the response. High Hawk surrendered without incident around 10 PM CST on South Maple Street and was lodged in Dawes County Jail. He was subsequently charged with five felonies. In December 2023, High Hawk entered no-contest pleas to three counts. A Dawes County District Court judge sentenced him in March 2024 to 10-to-16 years in prison, with credit for 306 days served.
Analysis

Key Findings

The five-hour armed manhunt spanned residential streets and the CSC campus in a small Nebraska Panhandle city where every local law enforcement agency was committed to a single incident
Multi-agency coordination -- drones, thermal cameras, canine, armored vehicle -- for a single armed individual illustrates the resource pooling required for rural campus safety emergencies
High Hawk fired multiple rounds but directed none at officers or bystanders, complicating the active-shooter classification while still justifying emergency notifications
CSC issued its second major campus emergency alert within 15 months -- after the February 2022 bomb threat -- highlighting how small institutions face repeated high-stakes notifications
Outcome
High Hawk arrested around 10 PM CST on South Maple Street. Charged with five felonies including possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, terroristic threats, and unlawful possession of a firearm at a school. Sentenced March 2024 to 10-to-16 years in prison after pleading no contest to three felony counts.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Friday Manhunt near Chadron State College ends after four hours - KNEB Rural Radio
    ruralradio.com
  2. News
    Suspect faces several charges in Chadron shooting incident - Star Herald
    starherald.com
  3. News
    Arrest made in Chadron shooting near Chadron State College - Nebraska.tv
    nebraska.tv
  4. News
    Man Subject of May Manhunt at Chadron State Sentenced to Prison - KNEB Rural Radio
    ruralradio.com
  5. News
    High Hawk receives prison term - Rapid City Journal
    rapidcityjournal.com
Tags
armed-personmanhuntactive-shooter-reportshelter-in-placenebraskapanhandlerural-campusmulti-agency-responsefive-hour-incidentprohibited-person
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion