{
  "id": "2024-08-08-uc-berkeley-gunfire",
  "slug": "uc-berkeley-gunfire-2024-08-08",
  "institution": {
    "name": "University of California, Berkeley",
    "shortName": "UC Berkeley",
    "state": "CA",
    "type": "public-r1",
    "alertSystemName": "WarnMe",
    "enrollment": 45000
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2024-08-08",
    "type": "shooting",
    "cleryCategory": "emergency-notification",
    "resolution": "under-investigation",
    "headline": "Gunshots near the campus track prompt a lockdown and six-hour search; no suspect found",
    "headlinePublic": "Gunshots near the campus track prompt a lockdown and six-hour search; no suspect found",
    "summary": "On the morning of August 8, 2024, two shots were fired near [UC Berkeley's Clark Kerr Track](https://news.berkeley.edu/2024/08/08/reports-of-shots-fired-near-clark-kerr-and-hill-campus/) at approximately 7:40 AM PDT, triggering a campus lockdown and a [roughly six-hour multi-agency search](https://abc7news.com/post/gunshots-reported-uc-berkeley-campus-track-university-alert-says/15159723/) involving K-9 units and officers with long guns. The lockdown was lifted at approximately 1:40 PM PDT after police exhausted all search resources without locating the suspect.",
    "outcome": "No injuries were reported. The suspect, described as a white male with bleached hair and a red backpack, was never apprehended. The lockdown was lifted at approximately 1:40 PM PDT after an exhaustive search.",
    "casualties": {
      "killed": 0,
      "injured": 0
    }
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestamp": "2024-08-08T07:55:00-07:00",
      "channel": "email",
      "verbatimText": "",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": false,
      "sourceDescription": "Berkeley News and Daily Californian reporting",
      "annotations": []
    },
    {
      "sequence": 2,
      "type": "update",
      "timestamp": "2024-08-08T08:55:00-07:00",
      "channel": "email",
      "verbatimText": "If you cannot avoid the area of Clark Kerr Campus and Hillside Campus … lockdown or secure in place.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.berkeleyside.org/2024/08/08/cal-berkeley-clark-kerr-hillside-police-search",
      "sourceDescription": "Berkeleyside reporting which quoted the WarnMe alert verbatim",
      "annotations": [
        "Verbatim text confirmed via direct quotation in Berkeleyside reporting from the WarnMe alert issued shortly before 9 a.m. PDT on August 8, 2024",
        "This update was sent shortly before 9:00 AM PDT on August 8, 2024, escalating the response from an advisory to a lockdown order",
        "Multiple law enforcement agencies responded, including UCSF Police, Alameda County Sheriff, Contra Costa County Sheriff, and East Bay Regional Park District Police",
        "DEEP AUDIT correct 2026-08-02: berkeleyside.org live presents two separate alerts: third alert 'If you cannot avoid the area of Clark Kerr Campus and Hillside Campus … lockdown or secure in place' and separate afternoon 'It is not safe to be outside...'. Archive merges both into one sequence-2 message. Correct sequence 2 to the single third-alert artifact as quoted."
      ],
      "characterCount": 100,
      "lastUpdated": "2026-08-02"
    },
    {
      "sequence": 3,
      "type": "all-clear",
      "timestamp": "2024-08-08T13:40:00-07:00",
      "channel": "email",
      "verbatimText": "It has been determined that there is no longer a known threat to UC Berkeley campus locations",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.berkeleyside.org/2024/08/08/cal-berkeley-clark-kerr-hillside-police-search",
      "sourceDescription": "Berkeleyside reporting which quoted the final WarnMe alert verbatim",
      "annotations": [
        "Verbatim text confirmed via direct quotation in Berkeleyside reporting from the final WarnMe alert that lifted the lockdown",
        "The all-clear was issued at approximately 1:40 PM PDT on August 8, 2024, nearly six hours after the initial shots were reported",
        "Multiple police agencies conducted an exhaustive search but the suspect was not apprehended",
        "DEEP AUDIT correct 2026-08-02: berkeleyside.org live quotes all-clear as 'It has been determined that there is no longer a known threat to UC Berkeley campus locations'. Archive wording ('UCPD and Campus Administration have determined... normal operations can resume... exercise caution') is not the quoted artifact. Correct to on-page quote."
      ],
      "characterCount": 93,
      "lastUpdated": "2026-08-02"
    }
  ],
  "context": "At approximately 7:40 AM PDT on August 8, 2024, UC Berkeley police responded to [reports of two shots fired near Clark Kerr Track](https://news.berkeley.edu/2024/08/08/reports-of-shots-fired-near-clark-kerr-and-hill-campus/) on the eastern edge of campus. The campus ShotSpotter system detected the gunfire. A WarnMe alert was distributed shortly before 8:00 AM PDT, and the [UC Berkeley Emergency Operations Center was activated](https://www.berkeleyside.org/2024/08/08/cal-berkeley-clark-kerr-hillside-police-search). By 9:00 AM PDT, the university escalated the warning to a lockdown order for anyone in the Clark Kerr and Hillside Campus areas. The [search expanded to Panoramic Way](https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2024/08/09/uc-berkeley-crime/uc-berkeley-clark-kerr-gunfire-lockdown/) as multiple law enforcement agencies, including UCSF Police, Alameda County Sheriff's Office, Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office, and East Bay Regional Park District Police, joined the manhunt with K-9 units and officers with long guns. The suspect was described by witnesses as a white male wearing a black shirt, black pants, and a red backpack, with bleached hair showing possible red or orange highlights. Cal football [postponed its Thursday practice](https://www.si.com/college/cal/football/cal-football-practice-postponed-after-campus-shooting-incident-01j4sg46mhdv) due to the lockdown. After nearly six hours, police concluded the search at approximately 1:40 PM PDT without locating the suspect.",
  "keyFindings": [
    "The campus ShotSpotter system enabled rapid detection of gunfire, and the first WarnMe alert was distributed within approximately 15 minutes",
    "The search lasted nearly six hours and involved at least five law enforcement agencies, but the suspect was never apprehended",
    "Cal football postponed its Thursday practice due to the lockdown affecting the Clark Kerr area"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "Reports of shots fired near Clark Kerr Track and Hill Campus (Berkeley News)",
      "url": "https://news.berkeley.edu/2024/08/08/reports-of-shots-fired-near-clark-kerr-and-hill-campus/",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "Reported gunfire at UC Berkeley: Police search Clark Kerr, Hillside campuses (Berkeleyside)",
      "url": "https://www.berkeleyside.org/2024/08/08/cal-berkeley-clark-kerr-hillside-police-search",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Shots fired near UC Berkeley Clark Kerr Campus (Daily Californian)",
      "url": "https://www.dailycal.org/news/city/crime-and-safety/shots-fired-near-uc-berkeley-clark-kerr-campus/article_f435b7b2-55a2-11ef-a433-07732a14bd8e.html",
      "type": "student-newspaper"
    },
    {
      "title": "Gunfire prompts lockdown near UC Berkeley Clark Kerr Campus (Berkeley Scanner)",
      "url": "https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2024/08/09/uc-berkeley-crime/uc-berkeley-clark-kerr-gunfire-lockdown/",
      "type": "local-media"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "medium",
  "tags": [
    "shooting",
    "california",
    "manhunt",
    "lockdown",
    "clark-kerr",
    "multi-agency-response",
    "shotspotter",
    "suspect-at-large"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-05-03",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-08-02",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}