HU President William R. Harvey Releases Statement to Parents

Dear Parent/Guardian:

As you may be aware, there was a shooting incident on the campus of Hampton University at approximately 1 a.m. on Sunday, April 26, 2009. No current students were involved and/ or injured and fortunately, there were no fatalities. A former student, currently residing in New York, allegedly shot a pizza delivery driver and the night manager in Harkness Hall. He then allegedly turned the gun on himself. All three were airlifted to area hospitals. Hampton City Police are investigating the incident, and the Hampton University community is praying for those injured.

When I arrived at the scene approximately 15 minutes after the shooting, the campus was on lockdown, the crime scene had been secured and Harkness Hall had been evacuated. Text messages were sent, a telephone message was left on campus telephones including dormitories and offices, and information about the situation was placed on the web site until 2:57 a.m. I actually remained on the scene until 5:00 a.m. and spoke to a number of students to make sure that they are aware of the services available to them on campus, including counseling.

Please be assured that the Hampton University continues to take every precaution to ensure the safety of our campus. There is no greater priority for us than the safety and well-being of our students, faculty and staff. We are working hand-in-hand with law enforcement authorities to confirm exactly what happened and why. All of the first responders including, Harkness Hall dormitory personnel, the Hampton University Police, Hampton City Police, Hampton Fire Department, Hampton EMT and Hampton University student affairs personnel, handled the shooting on campus in a swift, professional, and effective manner. They are real heroes. I commend them for immediately handling what quite possibly could have been an even more tragic situation.

In addition to the sessions that I conducted on the morning of the shooting, we have had at least two other sessions with students and one session with faculty and staff. I wanted this communication to come to you so that you would be the beneficiary of the latest information available to me.

With all good wishes,

William R. Harvey
President