Campus Alert Archive
UofU

Track Athlete Lauren McCluskey Killed by Ex-Boyfriend on Campus After Weeks of Ignored Warnings

UTshootingemergency notificationhigh confidence
Confirmed Threat

On October 22, 2018, University of Utah student and track athlete Lauren McCluskey, 21, was shot and killed by her ex-boyfriend Melvin Rowland in a parking lot outside her dormitory. McCluskey had contacted campus police more than 20 times to report Rowland's harassment and stalking after discovering he was a registered sex offender. Rowland was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in a nearby church.

Alerts
5
Response
6 min
Killed
1
Injured
0
Institution
University of Utah
Public R1 · UT
~33,000 studentsCampus Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

5 messages in sequence · 5 verified verbatim

INITIAL ALERTSMS
Verified verbatimUniversity of Utah official @theU news site, reproducing the verbatim alert texts sent on October 22, 201836 chars
Shooting on campus. Secure-in-place.
The secure-in-place alert was sent at 9:56 PM MDT on October 22, 2018, shortly after McCluskey's body was found outside the south tower of the Medical Plaza dormitory
McCluskey had been shot seven times in the parking lot
The extreme brevity of this initial alert -- six words, 36 characters -- exemplifies the stripped-down first-message protocol of modern campus mass-notification systems
UPDATESMS
Verified verbatimUniversity of Utah official @theU news site, reproducing the verbatim alert texts sent on October 22, 2018178 chars
Suspect: Black male, 37 years old, 6'3", 250 lbs, wearing a gray beanie, black pants, white shoes and a white hoodie. He was last seen on foot leaving NB from the Medical Towers.
The suspect description was Melvin Rowland, 37 -- McCluskey's ex-boyfriend who had been stalking her since she ended their relationship on October 9 after learning he was a registered sex offender
The suspect fled campus on foot immediately after shooting McCluskey seven times in the parking lot outside her dormitory
Updates were sent approximately every 30 minutes reiterating the secure-in-place order
UPDATESMS
Verified verbatimUniversity of Utah official @theU news site, reproducing the verbatim alert texts sent on October 22, 201885 chars
Updates on highalert.utah.edu. Next update at 11:30 p.m. Continue to secure-in-place.
The periodic update cadence -- directing people to highalert.utah.edu and announcing when the next update would arrive -- was a characteristic feature of the University of Utah's alert protocol
This timed-update approach reduced anxiety by giving recipients a predictable information schedule rather than silence
UPDATESMS
Verified verbatimUniversity of Utah official @theU news site, reproducing the verbatim alert texts sent on October 22, 2018161 chars
Shooting suspect identified as Melvin Rowland, 37. Secure-in-place lifted for campus. Police believe suspect has left campus and is no longer a threat to campus.
The secure-in-place was lifted at approximately 11:46 PM MDT on October 22, 2018 after police determined the suspect had left campus
Naming the suspect in the alert was an unusual transparency decision -- Rowland was later found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in a church near campus
ALL CLEARSMS
Verified verbatimUniversity of Utah official @theU news site, reproducing the verbatim alert texts sent on October 22-23, 2018122 chars
*** ALL CLEAR *** Melvin Rowland, the suspect in the fatal shooting on campus, has been located and is no longer a threat.
Rowland was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in a church near campus shortly after midnight on October 23, 2018
The triple-asterisk all-clear format (*** ALL CLEAR ***) is a distinctive University of Utah alert convention signaling the termination of an emergency
Context

Background

On the evening of October 22, 2018, Lauren McCluskey, a 21-year-old track athlete from Pullman, Washington, was found dead inside the back of a car in the parking lot outside her dormitory at the University of Utah. She had been shot seven times by her ex-boyfriend, 37-year-old Melvin Rowland. McCluskey had ended their brief relationship on October 9 after a friend informed her that Rowland had lied about his identity and was a registered sex offender with a 2004 conviction for enticing a minor. After the breakup, Rowland stalked, harassed, and extorted McCluskey. She and her friends contacted campus police more than 20 times over the 13 days between the breakup and her murder. At 9:56 PM MDT, a secure-in-place alert was sent campus-wide. Updates were issued approximately every 30 minutes, with the secure-in-place lifted at 11:46 PM. Rowland was later found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound inside a church near campus. University President Ruth Watkins subsequently admitted that the university failed to properly handle McCluskey's repeated pleas for help. The family settled with the university for $13.5 million in October 2020, and the McCluskey Center for Violence Prevention Research and Education was established.
Analysis

Key Findings

McCluskey and her friends contacted campus police more than 20 times in the 13 days before her murder, but their warnings were not adequately acted upon
The secure-in-place alert was issued promptly at 9:56 PM, about 6 minutes after the body was discovered, with regular 30-minute updates
The university admitted systemic failures in its handling of the case and settled for $13.5 million
The incident led to the creation of the McCluskey Center for Violence Prevention Research and Education at the university
Outcome
Lauren McCluskey, 21, was killed. Melvin Rowland, 37, was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound inside a church near campus later that night. The university admitted failures in its handling of McCluskey's complaints and settled with the family for $13.5 million in October 2020. The McCluskey Center for Violence Prevention Research and Education was established at the university.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Official
    Emergency alert: Shooting on campus — @theU (University of Utah official news site)
    attheu.utah.edu
  2. News
    University of Utah shooting: Student Lauren McCluskey killed (CBS News)
    cbsnews.com
  3. News
    Utah admits error in Lauren McCluskey's death, settles for $13.5 million (ESPN)
    espn.com
  4. News
    Here's an updated timeline of the slaying of University of Utah student Lauren McCluskey (Salt Lake Tribune)
    sltrib.com
  5. News
    Suspected gunman found dead after U. student slain on campus (KSL)
    ksl.com
  6. News
    'We failed Lauren': University of Utah to pay $13.5 million (KIRO 7)
    kiro7.com
Tags
shootingstalkingdomestic-violenceutahpublic-r1fatalex-boyfriendsex-offenderinstitutional-failuresettlement
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion