Shots fired next to campus: Why wasn’t a SWOSUalert issued?

SWOSU+PD+patrol+car.

Emilie Kemp

SWOSU PD patrol car.

Johannes Becht, News Editor

Monday, Sept. 13, 9:50 p.m. – shots fired – all available units on the street!

The Weatherford Police Department arrested Jose Elizondo, 25, of San Benito, TX, and Omar Gonzales, 24, of Weatherford, after reports of shots fired at 600 Blk N 7th, close to College Ave, just feet away from the SWOSU campus.

As of a Lieutenant at the Weatherford PD, police units were at the scene very quickly and could locate the vehicle based on witness reports.

“We made a traffic stop and arrested two men and located the firearm,” the lieutenant said. As of first information released by WPD, the suspects were drunk and discharged a weapon out of their vehicle.

Past incidents close to campus, such as the Campus North shooting in Oct. 2020 or an act of domestic violence in March 2021 led to the issuance of a lockdown at SWOSU and an alert sent out to SWOSU students, faculty and staff. But not this time. Why?

Kendra Brown, Chief of the SWOSU Police Department: “A SWOSU Alert was not issued based on the info we received that (the) suspects were immediately apprehended and there was no further threat posed to campus.”

However, SWOSU PD assisted Weatherford PD and secured the road towards Ranking Williams Fieldhouse/Pioneer Center.