November 4, 2021 – 1:00 pm
An update on the law enforcement activity alert from this morning.
Police responded to an event early this morning that started with a fire alarm at the University of Oregon William Knight Law Center. The incident resulted in the arrest of a suspect. The campus has been secured and returned to normal operations. Here are details of the incident:
At about 3 a.m., University of Oregon police and Eugene/Springfield Fire Department responded to a hand-pulled fire alarm in the William Knight Law Center building. The building was checked and cleared with no evidence of smoke or fire.
Fire officials cleared the building and UOPD officers began reviewing security video footage. The video footage showed a person pulling the fire alarm, holding a gun and acting erratically inside the building. A call was made for police support. Officers from Springfield Police Department, Lane County Sheriff’s Office and Junction City Police Department responded to the scene to assist. A tactical search of the building was conducted by a Lane County Sheriff’s drone team and a Springfield Police canine unit. Assisting police officers diverted pedestrian and street traffic around the law school and a UO alert was sent out asking everyone to avoid the area.
UOPD began receiving multiple 911 calls from a single cell phone reporting incidents from other areas across campus. The UOPD worked to locate the 911 caller by pinging, texting and calling the phone. Through a text exchange, UOPD crisis negotiation team members were able to connect with what was later determined to be a student in Hamilton Hall. Two students were being held in the student’s room and the suspect had used the student’s phone to place the 911 calls.
Lane County deputies and UOPD responded to Hamilton Hall based on information received in text messages. Upon entry, officers immediately located the armed suspect and took him into custody without incident.
Shawn Scott Densmore, 37, has been arrested and charged with menacing, burglary, criminal trespass, kidnapping and carrying a concealed firearm. Densmore is being held in Lane County jail. Densmore has no known current affiliation with the university.
An investigation is ongoing.