DEVELOPING:
Posted at: 2:15 a.m., 10/4/10

BY: BRIDGET MCCARTIN
[email protected]

At approximately 11:45 p.m. on Monday, shots were fired from a car on North Main Street into the western-facing windows of Pelletier Library.

Four shots were fired in total, two on the main floor of the library and two on the basement floor. No injuries were reported.  At this time, there are no suspects and the car has not been identified.

According to the Office of Safety and Security, the bullets that hit the windows were most likely from an air gun, based on the level of damage inflicted on the library’s double-paned windows.  All four shots broke through the first set of glass but did not penetrate the second.

Students studying in the library witnessed the event.

“We were sitting here studying for psych, and it sounded like a rock hit the window,” said Lauren Moore, ’14, who was sitting on the basement floor of the library at the time. “Then we heard three more [shots] in quick succession and saw a car drive by.”

“I heard some bangs, and I thought it was just someone smacking on the window upstairs, being funny,” said Katie Moses, ’14. “But then I heard the windows cracking.”

Jinnie Templin, ’11, was not at the library during the shooting but expressed concern about her safety because her comp cubicle is located directly in front of the cracked windows on the lower floor.

“This just crossed a line,” she said in an e-mail interview, “the line from disrespectful to dangerous.”

Despite her worries, Templin said she will return to her comp cubicle out of necessity; however, this incident caused her some distress about campus security as a whole.

“When you’re not safe in the library, where the hell are you going to be safe?” she said.

Security arrived on the scene within 60 seconds of being notified to survey the damage.  According to Officer Fred Manville, Safety and Security officers will continue to follow normal protocol.

“First, we notify the cops,” Manville said. “Once we get everything we need from a crime scene, we set up more patrols and continue to watch the area.”

The rooms with damaged windows were cordoned off with caution tape, and, according to Safety and Security, maintenance personnel will secure the windows until new panes are installed.

Fifteen minutes after the incident occurred, the mood in the library had returned to normalcy.

“I just got into work at midnight, and everything had settled down,” said Zach Whiteman, ’11, an employee at the circulation desk.

At this time, neither campus nor library administration could not be reached for comment.  Any student with information concerning this incident should contact Safety and Security at 814-332-3357.