{ "id": "2024-08-20-tufts-university-bb-gun-attacks", "slug": "tufts-university-bb-gun-attacks-2024-08-20", "institution": { "name": "Tufts University", "shortName": "Tufts", "state": "MA", "type": "private-r1", "alertSystemName": "TuftsAlert", "alertPlatform": "Rave", "enrollment": 13000 }, "incident": { "date": "2024-08-20", "type": "assault", "cleryCategory": "advisory", "resolution": "under-investigation", "headline": "Advisory issued after pedestrians struck by BB pellets fired from a passing vehicle", "headlinePublic": "Advisory issued after pedestrians struck by BB pellets fired from a passing vehicle", "summary": "In the days before the start of the fall 2024 semester, [Tufts University Police issued a Community Advisory after several pedestrians in the Medford, Somerville, and Brookline neighborhoods were struck by BB pellets fired from a passing dark-colored vehicle, possibly an older-model Jeep](https://police.tufts.edu/news-events/news/community-advisory-8202024). The advisory was [picked up by Boston-area outlets including CBS, NBC, the Boston Globe, and Boston 25](https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/tufts-university-bb-gun-shootings/), and arrived just as students returned to campus." }, "alerts": [ { "sequence": 1, "type": "initial", "timestampApprox": "Tuesday afternoon, August 20, 2024 EDT", "channel": "email", "verbatimText": "Dear members of the Tufts University community:\n\nThe Tufts University Police Department is aware of multiple reports to law enforcement regarding the use of pellet BB guns in and around the Medford, Somerville, and Brookline areas; we are sharing this information with our Tufts University community for awareness.\n\nSeveral individuals were approached while they were walking by a dark-colored motor vehicle, possibly an older model Jeep, and struck with an unknown object that came from the area of the vehicle and was described as a BB pellet.\n\nThe Tufts University Police, together with our law enforcement partners, are actively investigating these incidents and encourages you to report any information that may be helpful by calling the Tufts University Police Department at 617-627-3030 or 617-627-6911 from any on-campus phone. Please report any suspicious activity, people, circumstances, or security concerns to our team. Timely reporting is critical.\n\nWhile those who commit such crimes are fully responsible for their actions, we would like to take this opportunity to suggest the following safety measures:\n\nBe particularly alert to your surroundings when you are walking and avoid distractions such as headphones and cell phone use.\n\nBe observant of those that are traveling in the area where you are walking.\n\nWhenever possible travel in well-lit and populated areas and walk with a co-worker/friend.\n\nIf you think someone is following you, try to move into an area where other people are present like a store or restaurant. Don’t be afraid to call for help.\n\nProgram the Tufts Police Emergency Line (617-627-6911) into your cell phone to call for immediate assistance on campus. For off-campus emergencies call 911 for assistance.\n\nEmergency Blue Light Call Boxes are installed throughout our campuses, which provide a direct line of communication to Public Safety’s 24-hour Dispatch Center. Please familiarize yourself with their locations.\n\nPublic Safety can provide safety escorts to off-site parking facilities at times and 24/7 within the Tremont Street garage. More information regarding safety escorts is available on the Tufts Police website. Call 617-627-3030 to request assistance.\n\nThank you for taking the time to review this important message. The safety and security of our community is our highest priority.", "isVerbatimConfirmed": true, "sourceUrl": "https://police.tufts.edu/news-events/news/community-advisory-8202024", "sourceDescription": "Tufts University Police Community Advisory 8/20/2024", "annotations": [ "Tufts labeled this a 'Community Advisory' rather than a Clery 'Timely Warning' because the strikes did not occur on campus property, a deliberate distinction Tufts uses to differentiate Clery-mandated notices from discretionary public-safety information", "The vehicle description ('dark-colored motor vehicle, possibly an older model Jeep') was carried verbatim by every Boston outlet, suggesting the press release was the primary source", "The advisory was issued during move-in week, when thousands of new students were unfamiliar with the surrounding neighborhoods", "Listing both the on-campus and off-campus police phone numbers acknowledges that the geographic boundary of the threat ran through a mixed jurisdiction", "Audit 2026-10-12: verbatim text replaced with the notice body from the live page. Page title, h1, and site chrome are not included." ], "characterCount": 2338 } ], "context": "[Tufts University](https://emergency.tufts.edu/alert-systems/tuftsalert/tuftsalert-faqs) is a private R1 institution of about 13,000 students with its main campus straddling Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts. The university's [TuftsAlert system](https://emergency.tufts.edu/alert/), powered by Rave, is reserved for active emergencies; lower-tier safety information is distributed through Tufts Police 'Community Advisories' that don't trigger the mass-notification stack. In the week before fall 2024 move-in, [Tufts Police began receiving reports of pedestrians being struck by BB pellets fired from a passing vehicle](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/08/21/metro/tufts-police-warn-of-recent-bb-gun-attacks-in-area/) in the Medford, Somerville, and Brookline neighborhoods around the Tufts campuses. On [August 20, 2024](https://police.tufts.edu/news-events/news/community-advisory-8202024), Tufts Police issued a Community Advisory describing a 'dark-colored motor vehicle, possibly an older model Jeep' from which an 'unknown object' described as a BB pellet had struck multiple individuals. [CBS Boston](https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/tufts-university-bb-gun-shootings/), [NBC Boston](https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/tufts-university-neighborhood-bb-gun-attacks/3465708/), [Boston 25](https://www.boston25news.com/news/local/middlesex-county/several-bb-gun-incidents-near-tufts-university-campus-prompts-warning-police/S6DA2JFXNRFLDOQVAYY47SGEHU/), and the [Boston Globe](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/08/21/metro/tufts-police-warn-of-recent-bb-gun-attacks-in-area/) all picked up the advisory the same week, amplifying it across the Boston area. The advisory's timing (at the move-in moment when first-year students were unfamiliar with the surrounding neighborhoods) exemplifies how Tufts Police use the Community Advisory channel as a public-safety tool distinct from the Clery-mandated Timely Warning.", "keyFindings": [ "Tufts categorized the notice as a 'Community Advisory' rather than a Clery Timely Warning because the strikes did not occur on Clery-defined campus or non-campus property", "The advisory was issued during move-in week, when many new students were unfamiliar with the surrounding neighborhoods", "The vehicle description ('dark-colored motor vehicle, possibly an older model Jeep') was reproduced verbatim by every major Boston outlet, suggesting the press release was the primary source", "Tufts maintains separate channels for TuftsAlert (active emergencies) and Tufts Police Community Advisories (public-safety information), reserving mass notification for active emergencies" ], "sources": [ { "title": "Community Advisory 8/20/2024 (Tufts University Police)", "url": "https://police.tufts.edu/news-events/news/community-advisory-8202024", "type": "official-archive" }, { "title": "Tufts University warns students of BB gun shootings near campus (CBS Boston)", "url": "https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/tufts-university-bb-gun-shootings/", "type": "local-media" }, { "title": "Tufts police warn of recent BB gun attacks in area (Boston Globe)", "url": "https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/08/21/metro/tufts-police-warn-of-recent-bb-gun-attacks-in-area/", "type": "local-media" }, { "title": "Tufts University neighborhood BB gun attacks (NBC Boston)", "url": "https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/tufts-university-neighborhood-bb-gun-attacks/3465708/", "type": "local-media" }, { "title": "Several BB gun incidents near Tufts University campus prompts warning from police (Boston 25)", "url": "https://www.boston25news.com/news/local/middlesex-county/several-bb-gun-incidents-near-tufts-university-campus-prompts-warning-police/S6DA2JFXNRFLDOQVAYY47SGEHU/", "type": "local-media" } ], "confidence": "high", "tags": [ "assault", "community-advisory", "bb-gun", "drive-by", "tufts", "massachusetts", "medford", "somerville", "brookline", "private-r1", "move-in-week" ], "dateAdded": "2026-05-03", "lastUpdated": "2026-10-12", "addedBy": "ingestion" }