Campus Alert Archive
Elon

Thirteen Minutes From Alert to Custody: Elon's Overnight Shots-Fired Response Near Campus

NCshootingemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

Just before 1 a.m. on November 1, 2024, an unaffiliated man fired shots into the air near a house party in the 300 block of West Lebanon Avenue adjacent to Elon University's campus. Elon issued an E-Alert at 1:41 a.m. and a follow-up alert at 1:54 a.m. confirming a suspect was in custody. Town of Elon, Gibsonville and Elon Campus Police arrested 23-year-old Matthew Dylan Earnhardt of Winston-Salem on five misdemeanor charges.

Alerts
2
Response
41 min
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
Elon University
Private Masters · NC
~7,300 studentsRave Mobile SafetyE-Alert
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 reconstruction96 chars
E-Alert: Shots fired in the area of Elon University. Avoid the area. More information to follow.

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

Reconstructed from Elon News Network coverage; the initial E-Alert went out at 1:41 a.m. EDT, approximately 41 minutes after Town of Elon police first responded to shots fired calls at the 300 block of West Lebanon Avenue at about 1 a.m.
The shots were fired into the air near a residence after the suspect was denied entry to a house party
Elon's E-Alert system runs on Rave Mobile Safety and reaches students, faculty and staff via SMS, email and push notifications
ALL CLEARSMS+13 min
Approximate reconstruction85 chars
E-Alert: Suspects in custody. No further threats to campus. Resume normal activities.

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

Reconstructed from Elon News Network coverage; the follow-up alert was sent at 1:54 a.m. EDT, just 13 minutes after the initial alert
The rapid resolution reflected close coordination among three police agencies: Town of Elon, Gibsonville and Elon Campus Police
The arresting officers found the suspect carrying a concealed .40 caliber Glock pistol without a permit and more than half an ounce of marijuana
Context

Background

On the early morning of November 1, 2024, a man who was not affiliated with Elon University fired shots into the air near a residence in the 300 block of West Lebanon Avenue after being denied entry to a party. Town of Elon police were dispatched at approximately 1 a.m. EDT, and Elon's E-Alert emergency notification system issued an initial alert at 1:41 a.m., followed by an all-clear at 1:54 a.m. once the suspect was in custody. Officers from Town of Elon, Gibsonville Police and Elon Campus Police located the suspect's vehicle and arrested 23-year-old Matthew Dylan Earnhardt of Winston-Salem. Earnhardt was charged with five misdemeanors including discharging a firearm in the city limits, concealing a weapon without a permit, possession of marijuana and communicating threats. No injuries were reported. The incident is the kind of off-campus shots-fired call that frequently triggers campus alerts at small private campuses geographically embedded within their host towns.
Analysis

Key Findings

The 13-minute interval between the initial E-Alert and the all-clear is among the shortest documented at any campus in this archive, reflecting the small geographic footprint of Elon and rapid mutual aid among Town of Elon, Gibsonville and campus police
The shooter was unaffiliated with the university but the incident occurred just steps from campus on West Lebanon Avenue, illustrating how off-campus residential events drive campus alert activity at small private universities
Elon's E-Alert architecture pairs with the broader Rave platform that many North Carolina private institutions use; the multi-channel SMS/email/push delivery enabled the all-clear to reach students before most had time to fully react
Outcome
Matthew Dylan Earnhardt, 23, of Winston-Salem, was arrested and charged with five misdemeanor counts including discharging a firearm, concealing a weapon, possession of marijuana, and communicating threats. No injuries were reported.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Student Paper
    Shots fired in Elon; suspect identified (Elon News Network)
    elonnewsnetwork.com
  2. Official
    E-Alert RAVE (Elon University Campus Safety and Police)
    elon.edu
  3. Official
    Campus Notifications (Elon University)
    elon.edu
Tags
shots-firedoff-campusprivate-universitynorth-carolinae-alertrapid-resolutionhouse-partyrave-mobile-safety
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion