Campus Alert Archive
Colby

Gunfire at 'Doghead' Party: Non-Student Fires Rounds Into Colby Dorm Hallway During Annual Tradition

MEshootingemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

During the early morning hours of March 11, 2023, during the annual 'Doghead' party at Alfond Senior Apartments, non-student Andrew Gifford (24, of Waterville) fired two rounds from a Ruger 9mm handgun into a hallway wall following an altercation. No injuries occurred. Colby went into lockdown, with Interim Dean Barbara Moore emailing students at 2:21 AM urging shelter in place. Gifford was arrested and charged with reckless conduct.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
Colby College
Private Liberal Arts · ME
~2,000 students
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence · 1 verified verbatim

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 ALERTEmail
Verified verbatimColby Echo student newspaper, quoting Interim Dean Barbara Moore's 2:21 AM email203 chars
We urge you to shelter in place until we have additional information that the campus is entirely safe. The Waterville Police Department have a person in custody who attended events there and fired a gun.
Sent at 2:21 AM EST on March 11, 2023, approximately 50 minutes after the shots were fired around 1:30 AM
The alert confirmed a suspect was already in custody, which would have reduced the perceived threat level for students
Prior to the Dean's email, the SGA Vice President had texted students asking them to shelter in place, filling the communication gap
ALL CLEAREmail
Approximate reconstruction149 chars
The campus has been declared safe. A suspect is in custody. The incident at Alfond Senior Apartments has been resolved. Normal activities may resume.

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

The all-clear was issued after Waterville Police confirmed the suspect was in custody and the scene was secure
The Alfond Senior Apartments shooting was the first gun violence incident at Colby in recent memory
Context

Background

During the early morning hours of March 11, 2023, gunfire erupted at Colby College's Alfond Senior Apartments during the annual 'Doghead' party — a tradition near St. Patrick's Day. Andrew Gifford, 24, of Waterville (not a Colby student), got into an altercation and fired two rounds from a Ruger 9mm handgun into a hallway wall. No one was injured. Waterville Police responded and arrested Gifford. Central Maine reported that he was charged with reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon. Interim Dean Barbara Moore sent a shelter-in-place email at 2:21 AM. The Colby Echo reported that before the Dean's email, the SGA Vice President had texted students urging them to shelter in place, filling a communication gap. The Bangor Daily News and Boston.com provided breaking coverage. WGME confirmed the charges.
Analysis

Key Findings

The shooter was a non-student who had attended the party, raising questions about visitor access to campus housing during large social events
Student government stepped in to fill the communication gap — the SGA VP texted students before the Dean's official email, highlighting informal alert networks
No injuries occurred despite shots being fired in a hallway during a crowded party, making this a near-miss incident
Outcome
Andrew Gifford was arrested and charged with reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon. No injuries were reported. The incident occurred at student housing during a large social gathering.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Student Paper
    Incident of gun violence at the College (Colby Echo)
    colbyecho.news
  2. News
    Waterville man charged with reckless conduct (Central Maine)
    centralmaine.com
  3. News
    Colby College goes into lockdown (Bangor Daily News)
    bangordailynews.com
  4. News
    Colby College goes into lockdown after shot fired (Boston.com)
    boston.com
  5. News
    Waterville man charged in shooting incident (WGME)
    wgme.com
Tags
shootingliberal-arts-collegemainenon-student-shooterdoghead-partystudent-housingno-injuriesreckless-conduct
Added April 2026Updated April 2026Via ingestion