Campus Alert Archive
Tulane

9th Floor of the Med School: Tulane Technician's Self-Inflicted Gunshot Triggers Downtown Campus Lockdown

LAshootingemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

On April 19, 2024, a Tulane University animal care technician shot himself on the 9th floor of the Hutchinson Memorial Building on the downtown campus. Officers initially responded to a report of an armed suspicious person, and the building was shut down while Tulane Police secured the scene. The first alert was issued at 7:53 AM CDT directing the community to avoid the School of Medicine.

Alerts
3
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
1
Institution
Tulane University
Private R1 · LA
~14,000 studentsTU Alerts
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

3 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 ALERTPush
Approximate reconstruction190 chars
TULANE ALERT: The Hutchinson Building on the downtown campus is shut down until further notice. Avoid the School of Medicine. An all-clear notice will be sent when the situation is resolved.

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

Reconstructed from Tulane Hullabaloo student newspaper and Fox 8 local TV coverage
The first alert went out at 7:53 AM CDT directing the community to avoid the building
Officers had responded to a report of an armed suspicious person on the 9th floor of the Hutchinson Building
UPDATEPush+1 h
Verified verbatimTulane Hullabaloo (student newspaper) reproduced the verbatim text of the 8:53 AM TUPD alert as posted to social media135 chars
No active threat at this time however police activity remains, please continue to avoid the School of Medicine until all clear is sent.
Verbatim text reproduced by Tulane Hullabaloo from the second TUPD social media post at 8:53 AM CDT on April 19, 2024 — exactly one hour after the initial 7:53 AM alert
The Hullabaloo article explicitly attributes the wording: 'a second post was made that said, No active threat at this time however police activity remains...'
By this point officers had determined the shooting was self-inflicted; the individual was receiving emergency care
ALL CLEARPush
Approximate reconstruction209 chars
TULANE UPDATE: The Hutchinson Building has reopened. Police presence will remain on site. The 9th floor is closed until further notice as an active crime scene. Normal operations may resume in all other areas.

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

Reconstructed from news coverage; the building reopened around 9:00 AM but the 9th floor remained closed
NOPD confirmed the shooting was self-inflicted and the victim was in critical condition
The partial reopening allowed classes and operations to resume while preserving the crime scene
Context

Background

On the morning of April 19, 2024, Tulane University Police officers responded to a report of an armed suspicious person on the 9th floor of the Hutchinson Memorial Building at 1430 Tulane Avenue, the university's downtown School of Medicine campus. Officers discovered a subject, later identified as an animal care technician employed by the university, inside a laboratory. The individual subsequently shot himself, and officers moved in to provide emergency medical care. The first alert was issued at 7:53 AM CDT shutting down the Hutchinson Building and directing the community to avoid the area. An update at 8:53 AM confirmed no active threat but maintained the building restriction. The building reopened around 9:00 AM with the 9th floor remaining closed as an active crime scene. NOPD reported the shooting was believed to be self-inflicted, and the employee was transported to a hospital in critical condition. The Tulane Public Safety office published a safety notice classifying the incident as an active threat response.
Analysis

Key Findings

The initial report was of an armed suspicious person, triggering a building lockdown before the self-inflicted nature was confirmed
The alert sequence spanned approximately one hour from initial lockdown to the no-active-threat update
The 9th floor of the Hutchinson Building remained closed as a crime scene even after the building reopened
Outcome
The employee was transported to a hospital in critical condition. The 9th floor remained closed as an active crime scene. The building reopened around 9:00 AM with continued police presence. The incident was determined to be self-inflicted, not a threat to others.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Student Paper
    School of Medicine technician sustains self-inflicted gunshot wound (Tulane Hullabaloo)
    tulanehullabaloo.com
  2. News
    Employee shot self on Tulane's campus, prompting closure in Hutchinson Building (Fox 8)
    fox8live.com
  3. News
    Tulane employee shoots himself inside a downtown campus building (WWLTV)
    wwltv.com
  4. Official
    Tulane Public Safety Active Threat Notice (PDF)
    publicsafety.tulane.edu
Tags
shootingself-inflictedmedical-schoolworkplacelouisianabuilding-lockdownprivate-university
Added April 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion