Lawrence Person's BattleSwarm Blog

There’s been a shooting on UT campus in Austin. Details are sketchy, but:

• The shooter is dead of apparently self-inflicted gunshot wounds in the Perry-Castaneda Library (UT’s main library, and a pretty big one).
• The campus is closed and on lock-down.
• Police are “looking for a second shooter” due to conflicting descriptions of the gunmen. If past shooting sprees are any indication, there won’t be one.
• UT’s own information system says no other injuries reported.
• UT was, of course, the site of Charles Joseph Whitman’s sniper killing spree, the largest until the Virginia Tech shooting.
• I am unable to find any evidence that UT has declared itself a “gun free zone.” UT’s policy states that it prohibits “Displaying a weapon or an object which appears to be a weapon in a threatening manner; carrying a firearm of any kind onto University owned or controlled property (except those permitted by state law or University policy); or using a weapon to harm someone.” “Except those permitted by state law” would suggest that a CHL permit holder could lawfully carry on campus itself, although I am unclear which buildings on campus may have signage stating that such carrying is prohibited. Edited to add: Not necessarily; see comments.

This would be a good time to revisit Karl Rehn’s advice on what to do if faced with an “active shooter.”

Updated to add: Ironically, John Lott, the author of More Guns, Less Crime, was scheduled to speak on UT campus at 6 PM today. Probably just one of those strange coincidences the universe throws up from time to time…

Edited to add 2: Here’s a live update blog. I’d take everything you read there with a grain of salt, especially reports of a tank on campus and the shooter having an “AK-47.” Possible, but remember this handy chart:

Edited to add 3: KXAN is reporting that it was an AK-47, the shooter as a 6’2″, 200 pound guy wearing a suit and tie, and that witnesses report he didn’t seem to be shooting at people so much as firing into the ground.

Edited to add 4: Here’s the live Austin police radio feed. Prepare to be bored stiff…

Edited to add 5: UT has given the all-clear, but the campus is still closed for the day. As predicted, police don’t think there’s a second gunman.

Edited to add 6: Shooter has now been identified as 19-year old math major Colton Tooley.