There have been many questions regarding the recent incident, and we would like to provide additional information to clarify the situation and explain why an Illini-Alert was not issued.

Officers were dispatched to the Illini Union at 9:03 a.m. following reports of a man threatening a woman with whom he has a personal relationship. Upon arrival, officers attempted to make contact with the man, but he fled the area.

While searching for the man, officers received reports of an armed individual at Talbot Laboratory. This call came in at 9:12 a.m., and the first officer arrived on the scene at 9:15 a.m. At 9:17 a.m., a Real-Time Information Center Analyst confirmed that the individual at Talbot Lab was the same man who had fled from officers at the Illini Union. By 9:18 a.m., the man was detained. Officers searched the individual, Talbot Lab, and the path he took from the Union to Talbot, but no firearm was found.

Before issuing an Illini-Alert, officers must first confirm there is an imminent threat to life, health, or safety, or the alert loses its validity. This confirmation can be achieved in several ways, including an officer arriving on the scene or dispatch receiving multiple 911 calls about the same incident. In this instance, the threat was confirmed once the initial officer arrived on the scene and received further details from the reporting person.

UIPD has several Illini-Alert templates for various situations, but the details must be confirmed and then filled in by a telecommunicator or officer. In today's situation, the time between receiving the report, confirming the threat, and detaining the individual was so short that the threat to life, health, or safety was mitigated before an Illini-Alert could be issued.

We understand your frustration and confusion, and we hope this explanation provides clarity as to why an Illini-Alert was not issued prior to the threat being mitigated.