Campus Alert Archive
MSU

A Loaded-Guns Threat From a Dismissed Employee Triggered MSU's First Shelter-in-Place in Memory

MTarmed personemergency notificationmedium confidence

On February 15, 2024, Montana State University in Bozeman ordered its entire campus to shelter in place after a lower-level employee being dismissed from his job told a family member he had loaded all his guns and was ready to 'take out anyone with him.' Police located the man inside Norm Asbjornson Hall and took him into custody just after 2 p.m.; he had no firearms on him at the time. MSU Police Chief Frank Parrish said he could not recall another full shelter-in-place order ever being issued by the university.

Alerts
2
Response
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Killed
—
Injured
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Institution
Montana State University
Public R1 · MT
MSU 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 ALERTmulti-channel
Approximate reconstruction220 chars
MSU Alert: Shelter in place. Police are responding to a threat on or near campus. Lock doors, stay away from windows, and remain where you are until further notice. Do not call 911 unless you have an emergency to report.

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

Reconstructed: news coverage reported that MSU Police issued an MSU Alert emergency notification 'just before 1 p.m.' instructing everyone on campus to shelter in place while a search was conducted, but did not publish the exact wording.
The shelter order followed a roughly 12:15 p.m. MST report that a dismissed employee had threatened the campus and said he had loaded all his guns.
ALL CLEARmulti-channel
Approximate reconstruction178 chars
MSU Alert: All clear. The individual has been taken into custody and there is no longer a threat to campus. The shelter-in-place order is lifted and normal operations may resume.

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

Reconstructed: the all-clear followed the man's apprehension inside Norm Asbjornson Hall, the engineering building on the south side of campus.
The campus was locked down for roughly two hours total according to the Billings Gazette.
Context

Background

Montana State University's Bozeman campus was placed on a rare full shelter-in-place on the afternoon of February 15, 2024. According to the Billings Gazette, campus police learned around 12:15 p.m. MST that a lower-level employee in the process of being dismissed had told a family member he was 'ready to end it all,' had loaded all of his guns, and was ready to take out anyone with him. NBC Montana reported MSU issued the alert just before 1 p.m. and lifted it after the man was found in Norm Asbjornson Hall just after 2 p.m. The man owned two shotguns and a rifle but had no firearm on him when detained, and prosecutors initially filed no charges as a mental-health evaluation proceeded. MSU Police Chief Frank Parrish said he could not recall the university ever issuing a full shelter-in-place order before.
Analysis

Key Findings

MSU issued what its police chief described as the university's first full shelter-in-place order in memory
The threat originated from a specific, identified individual rather than an unknown active-shooter report, allowing a targeted search
The suspect was located and detained in Norm Asbjornson Hall with no firearms in his possession, and no one was injured
The roughly two-hour lockdown demonstrated MSU Alert's multi-channel reach during a credible but bounded threat
Outcome
The man, who owned two shotguns and a rifle, was taken into custody without incident inside Norm Asbjornson Hall just after 2 p.m. MST. No weapons were in his possession, and no one was hurt.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Disgruntled MSU employee arrested after threats triggered campus lockdown - Billings Gazette
    billingsgazette.com
  2. News
    MSU Bozeman campus cleared after threat - NBC Montana
    nbcmontana.com
  3. News
    No charges for MSU lockdown suspect - NBC Montana
    nbcmontana.com
Tags
armed-personshelter-in-placemontanaemergency-notificationworkplace-threatmental-health
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion