Campus Alert Archive
UT Tyler HSC

RUN. HIDE. FIGHT.: The 90-Minute Lockdown That Tyler Police Could Not Verify Ever Involved a Gun

TXarmed personemergency notificationmedium confidence
UnfoundedNo evidence of an actual threat was found. The institutional response is documented because the alert communication is identical to what would occur during a real incident.

At approximately 11:30 AM CDT on September 2, 2025, an employee inside a doctor's office in UT Health East Texas Olympic Plaza Tower activated the active shooter alarm after witnessing what was described as an armed argument in a stairwell. The plaza tower and the main UT Health Tyler hospital on Beckham Avenue — both clinical and educational sites of the UT Tyler Health Science Center — were placed on lockdown. Tyler Police, Smith County Sheriff's deputies, Texas DPS, and Texas Game Wardens swept the building. The lockdown lifted at approximately 1:00 PM CDT and police later confirmed they could not verify a gun had ever been displayed.

Alerts
3
Response
1 min
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
University of Texas at Tyler Health Science Center / UT Health East Texas
Public R2 · TX
~3,200 studentsInternal duress alarm + overhead pageUT Health East Texas Active Shooter Alarm
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

3 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 ALERTPA System
Approximate reconstructionReconstructed from KLTV reporting that UT Health's internal alarm message urged staff to 'RUN, HIDE, FIGHT'169 chars
Attention all staff. RUN. HIDE. FIGHT. Active shooter alarm activated. Olympic Plaza Tower. Lockdown all units. Repeat: RUN. HIDE. FIGHT. Active shooter alarm activated.

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

Reconstructed from [KLTV 7 News reporting](https://www.kltv.com/2025/09/02/active-shooter-alarm-activated-tyler-ut-health/) confirming the internal alarm message used 'RUN, HIDE, FIGHT' phrasing — the DHS-standard active-shooter response framework
Tyler Morning Telegraph [timestamped the alarm at approximately 11:30 AM CDT](https://tylerpaper.com/2025/09/02/ut-health-issues-active-shooter-alarm-investigation-underway/) on September 2, 2025
The trigger event was a verbal disturbance in an Olympic Plaza Tower stairwell that an employee believed involved a firearm; the suspect was reported to have moved to the eighth floor
UPDATESMS
Approximate reconstruction190 chars
UT Health Alert: Olympic Plaza Tower and Beckham hospital remain on lockdown. Tyler PD, Smith County, DPS, and Game Wardens searching. Shelter in place. Do not open doors. Updates to follow.

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

Reconstructed from [CBS19's reporting](https://www.cbs19.tv/article/news/local/police-investigating-possible-terrorist-threat-ut-health-tyler/501-ff9bd2af-10e2-489f-bb35-224badc90de8) on the multi-agency response, which included Tyler PD, the Smith County Sheriff's Office, Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Game Wardens, and others
Patients later told [KLTV they communicated with loved ones by text](https://www.kltv.com/2025/09/03/patients-ut-health-olympic-plaza-detail-moments-before-after-lockdown/) while sheltering in place, suggesting the SMS alert reached patients as well as staff
Tyler Police were initially investigating the incident as a 'possible terroristic threat' before downgrading the case the following day
ALL CLEARSMS+1h 30m
Approximate reconstructionReconstructed from KLTV all-clear reporting timestamped at approximately 1:00 PM CDT161 chars
UT Health Alert: All clear. Lockdown lifted at Olympic Plaza Tower and Beckham hospital. No suspect located. Operations resuming. Thank you for your cooperation.

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

Reconstructed from [KLTV's all-clear reporting](https://www.kltv.com/2025/09/03/tyler-police-say-no-confirmation-gun-argument-that-prompted-ut-health-active-shooter-alarm/), which timestamped the lockdown lift at approximately 1:00 PM CDT on September 2, 2025
By the morning of September 3, 2025, Tyler Police [could not confirm that a gun had ever been displayed](https://tylerpaper.com/2025/09/03/after-further-investigation-tyler-police-cant-confirm-if-man-pulled-gun-at-ut-health-plaza-center/) and announced they were no longer looking for a suspect
The UT Tyler School of Medicine is scheduled to open its new building in 2026, expanding the academic footprint that was affected by the lockdown
Context

Background

On September 2, 2025, an employee at a doctor's office inside UT Health East Texas Olympic Plaza Tower hit the active shooter alarm after witnessing a verbal argument in a stairwell that she believed involved a firearm. The internal alarm urged staff to 'RUN. HIDE. FIGHT.' — the DHS-standard active-shooter response framework — and placed both the Olympic Plaza Tower and the main UT Health Tyler hospital on Beckham Avenue on lockdown. The buildings are clinical and educational sites for the University of Texas at Tyler Health Science Center, which since 2021 has been the merged academic-and-clinical arm of UT Tyler and is the future home of the UT Tyler School of Medicine. Tyler PD, the Smith County Sheriff's Office, Texas DPS, and Texas Game Wardens swept the tower while patients communicated with loved ones via text from inside the lockdown. The all-clear came at approximately 1:00 PM CDT. By the next morning, Tyler Police had downgraded the incident to an unfounded report, saying officers could not confirm that any gun had ever been displayed, and they had stopped looking for a suspect.
Analysis

Key Findings

UT Health East Texas's internal alarm used the DHS 'RUN, HIDE, FIGHT' framing directly — uncommon in hospital settings, where Code Silver overhead pages are the norm
The multi-agency response (Tyler PD, Smith County, Texas DPS, Texas Game Wardens) is unusual for a single-building lockdown and reflects the political weight of any incident at a future medical-school site
Tyler Police's day-after downgrade to 'cannot confirm a gun was shown' illustrates the false-positive risk inherent in employee-activated active-shooter duress systems
Outcome
No firearm was located and no suspect was ever found. Tyler Police dropped the active-suspect search by Wednesday morning, September 3, 2025. No injuries were reported. Hospital and clinic operations resumed by approximately 1:00 PM CDT.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Active shooter alarm activated at Tyler UT Health (KLTV 7)
    kltv.com
  2. News
    Police: Man pulled gun during argument at UT Health (Tyler Morning Telegraph)
    tylerpaper.com
  3. News
    After further investigation, Tyler police can't confirm if man pulled gun (Tyler Morning Telegraph)
    tylerpaper.com
  4. News
    Tyler police say no confirmation of gun (KLTV 7)
    kltv.com
  5. News
    Patients at UT Health Olympic Plaza detail moments before, after lockdown (KLTV 7)
    kltv.com
  6. News
    Police cannot confirm if gun was shown (CBS19 Tyler)
    cbs19.tv
  7. Official
    UT Tyler Health Science Center
    uttyler.edu
Tags
armed-personunfoundedactive-shooter-alarmrun-hide-fighthealth-science-centertexastylerolympic-plaza-towermulti-agency-responseduress-alarmUnfounded
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion