Campus Alert Archive
WSU

Student Called 911 on Himself: WSU Officer Fires Shot in Residence Hall After Knife Report Turns Surreal

WApolice activityemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

On March 27, 2024, WSU Police responded to a report of a man with a knife on the 4th floor of Global Scholars Hall in Pullman. The caller turned out to be the subject himself, 20-year-old student John Bazan, who had described himself to dispatchers. When officers arrived, Bazan advanced toward them despite repeated commands to stop, and an officer fired one shot that missed. No one was injured.

Alerts
3
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
Washington State University
Public R1 · WA
~32,000 studentsWSU Alert
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 reconstruction156 chars
WSU ALERT: An incident has been reported at Global Scholars Hall on the WSU Pullman campus. Police are on scene. Please avoid the area until further notice.

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

Reconstructed from WSU Alert page and student newspaper coverage
WSU Police responded to the 4th floor of Global Scholars Hall at approximately 11:22 AM PDT on March 27, 2024, after a male subject reported a person with a knife
The caller turned out to be the subject himself, student John Bazan, who called 911 and described himself
UPDATEPush+23 min
Verified verbatimWSU Alert official archive page for March 27, 2024 incident at Global Scholars Hall201 chars
Police responded to a threat at Global Scholars Hall, 1302 Cougar Way, Pullman, WA. An individual is in custody and no longer a threat. Please stay clear of the area while Law Enforcement investigates.
Verbatim text published on the WSU Alert archive page (alert.wsu.edu/2024/03/27/incident-wsu-pullman/) for the March 27, 2024 incident
References the Global Scholars Hall street address (1302 Cougar Way) — an unusual detail that grounds recipients in the specific location
An officer deployed a Taser which was initially ineffective; the student continued advancing and took his hands out of his sweatshirt pocket in what officers described as an aggressive manner
Officer Dillon Tiedeman-Mueller fired one shot that did not strike the student
ALL CLEARPush
Approximate reconstruction180 chars
WSU UPDATE: The situation at Global Scholars Hall has been resolved. One individual is in custody. There is no ongoing threat to the campus community. Normal operations may resume.

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

Reconstructed from WSU Insider and KREM news coverage
The student was transported to Pullman Regional Hospital for evaluation after being taken into custody
Per protocol, the regional officer-involved shooting investigative team conducted an independent investigation
Context

Background

On the morning of March 27, 2024, WSU Police responded to a 911 call reporting a male subject with a knife on the 4th floor of Global Scholars Hall, a residence hall on the Pullman campus. The investigation revealed that 20-year-old student John Bazan had called 911 on himself, describing his own appearance to dispatchers. When officers arrived, Bazan had his hands in his sweatshirt pockets and began advancing toward them. Officers repeatedly commanded him to stop and remove his hands. An officer deployed a Taser, which had no effect. Bazan then removed his hands from his pockets in what officers called an aggressive manner, prompting Officer Dillon Tiedeman-Mueller to fire one shot that missed. Bazan was taken into custody for obstructing an officer and transported to Pullman Regional Hospital. In April 2024, the Whitman County Prosecutor's Office declined to file charges against either the student or the officer.
Analysis

Key Findings

The subject called 911 on himself, describing his own appearance, creating an unusual crisis response scenario
A Taser was deployed before lethal force was used but proved ineffective
Neither the student nor the officer was charged; the regional officer-involved shooting team conducted an independent review
Outcome
Bazan was taken into custody for obstructing an officer and transported to Pullman Regional Hospital for evaluation. The officer was placed on administrative leave per protocol. Neither the student nor the officer was charged in the incident.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Official
    Student in custody after incident at Global Scholars Hall (WSU Insider)
    news.wsu.edu
  2. Official
    Incident - WSU Pullman (WSU Alert)
    alert.wsu.edu
  3. News
    Police: WSU student shot at by police called in knife threat himself (Spokesman-Review)
    spokesman.com
  4. News
    None charged in Washington State University campus shooting last March (KREM)
    krem.com
Tags
police-shootingkniferesidence-hallwashingtonofficer-involved-shootingmental-healthno-charges
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion