FITCHBURG, Mass. — Police are investigating a shooting near Fitchburg State University on Monday night that injured one person and rattled students living close to campus.
Fitchburg Police said officers responded just after 6:30 p.m. to reports of shots fired in the area of Clinton Street, near university buildings. When officers arrived, they found a victim suffering from a gunshot wound to the leg.
Police said the victim was taken to the hospital with non‑life‑threatening injuries and is expected to be OK.
Video from the scene shows how close the shooting occurred to campus buildings. A student who recorded a video described hearing multiple gunshots and seeing a heavy police response.
“So I was up in my room… on the ninth floor, and I heard a bunch of gunshots really loud,” said student Donovan Meehan. “Usually, you hear them in the distance because it’s Fitchburg, but these were way louder. Then I saw like eight police cars whipping down the street.”
Another student, Angelita Torres, said she was at a dress rehearsal for a dance show at the time of the shooting, so she didn’t hear the gunshots over the music.
“I’ve lived in Fitchburg my whole life, and these things kind of happen. It was a little scary. We had like an announcement happen mid dance show like we’re on lockdown, don’t be scared but we have to stay here.” Torres continued, “I almost skipped class today, but I was like, I should probably go, I think it’s fine.”
Torres also said students got an email letting them know there was police activity on the street.
Authorities said no arrests have been made, and investigators do not believe the shooting is connected to the university.
The investigation is still ongoing.
The incident marks the second shooting near Fitchburg State University in as many weeks. Two weeks ago, students were alerted about gunfire at an apartment building near campus, where one person was critically injured.
Some students may hold a protest later Monday, raising concerns about campus safety and what they say is a lack of information about the recent incidents.
The University President sent the following message on Tuesday morning:
To the campus community,
I’m writing to provide an update on the off-campus shooting last night on Clinton Street and to offer some clarity about how we communicate and respond during incidents like this.
The safety of our students, faculty, librarians, and staff is our top priority. In any situation, we follow established protocols and rely on real-time information to guide our decisions.
Last night, our University Police Department was in constant contact with the Fitchburg Police Department. That coordination matters. It ensures we’re working from the most accurate information as events unfold, and it reflects a strong partnership that helps keep our community safe.
As the situation developed, we alerted campus to avoid the area while police managed an active investigation. Based on what was known at the time, this was not an active shooter moving through the community, but a targeted, localized incident. Our ask was to stay clear of that city or privately owned property while the investigation continued. The same was true of the earlier incident this month on Willow Street, which we also communicated about.
Some of you may have wondered why we didn’t initiate a campus lockdown. That decision depends on whether there is an immediate, ongoing threat to the campus population. In this case, law enforcement determined early on that the incident was not random. It appeared to be a specific dispute, with no indication of a broader threat to campus. Given that, a shelter-in-place order wasn’t warranted.
It’s also important to be clear that this incident occurred off campus. With no indication of a continuing threat, the risk to our campus did not meet the threshold for broader campus-wide safety measures.
That said, we took a cautious approach. Asking the community to stay clear of the area allowed law enforcement to do their work and helped keep our students and employees out of an active scene. The emergency management team and I remained in close contact with city police throughout the evening.
I know incidents like this create real anxiety. Many of our students live off campus. So do I, along with members of my Cabinet. We feel this too, and we take it seriously.
Right now, there’s a steady stream of news about violence and disruption, and it can make even isolated incidents feel even closer and more immediate. Some level of worry is appropriate. It keeps us alert and aware. But it also matters that we stay anchored in facts, in judgment, and in the people and systems in place to keep this campus safe.
Our University Police Department is here, every day, focused on protecting you and this community. That commitment is constant.
We’ll continue to review our safety protocols, strengthen our coordination with local and state partners, and communicate as clearly and quickly as we can. That’s our responsibility to you.
Dr. Donna Hodge
President
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