The Charlottesville Police Department responded to a shots fired incident Sunday at 2:39 a.m. in the 800 Block of Hardy Drive, per a community alert sent Sunday morning by Timothy Longo, chief of the University Police Department and vice president for security and safety.
Witnesses reported hearing multiple shots and a building was struck by a bullet. No injuries have been reported at this time.
This is the first community alert of October after a hate crime Sept. 7, when a noose was found around the neck of the Homer statue. UPD and the local Federal Bureau of Investigation are still investigating the hate crime and are offering a $10,000 reward for any information helpful in solving the crime. In an unrelated incident, UPD also responded to a report of vandalism Aug. 21, in which an individual threw a rock through a window in Dawson’s Row, which houses the University’s Office of African American Affairs. An individual has since been apprehended, charged and arrested with a misdemeanor offense.
UPD also responded to reports of a racial slur painted on a sidewalk and road near John Street and 14th Street Friday. An alert was not sent to the public, as the incident occurred outside of the University’s Clery geography and was not determined to be an ongoing threat.
Community alerts are shared via email to the University community when there is timely information about a threat that can be released to the community without compromising any ongoing investigations. Timely warnings are issued when there is an ongoing threat to the community.
The public may opt-in to receive emergency alerts by texting “UVA” to 226787.