Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff:
As we close the weekend and look toward the last two weeks of the semester, I want to communicate updates about the shooting incident in the early morning hours on Saturday, April 19. While this is still an open investigation and details will continue to accumulate about what happened, I also want to pass along some of my earliest thoughts about what it means for openness, access, and safety on the campus that we all love and enjoy.
First of all, I want you to know that we are in constant communication with the detectives who are working the case for the Conway Police Department. While I cannot disclose much about those discussions during an ongoing investigation, I can confirm that a second suspect’s name has been shared, and we can confirm that they also are not a current or former UCA student.
Now that we have evidence that both identified suspects in the violent and blatant disregard for our community were non-students, we will be pulling leadership across campus functions into an evaluation of the safety and security protocol as it applies to the presence of anyone that is not a student, faculty, or staff member or is not a visitor to campus with official business or attending a sanctioned event.
We are proud of and thankful for the student life and social experiences that tie our community together, but we cannot allow outside actors with zero regard for our organizations, departments, and the university to bring chaos and selfishness to the place that we value and that many of us call home. We will use our safety protocol evaluation to bolster our current security measures as well as identify and implement ways to ensure visitors invited to our campus are aware of and able to abide by our policies.
We continue to be relieved that the brief but horrific display of violence did not have more victims, as many students were present along Donaghey Avenue near that parking lot where shots were fired between two vehicles. The one student bystander that was hit continues to recover at home today and is being supported by their family, our student affairs division, and our academic leadership and faculty.
One thing not mentioned in the email yesterday morning was a thankfulness for the rapid response by UCAPD in getting to the area, securing it, and applying initial first aid including a tourniquet to the one victim before paramedic and emergency medical techs arrived and transported to Conway Regional. While this event is one that we hope to never have to experience, I am thankful for the role that UCAPD and local partnerships with the City of Conway and healthcare facilities play in ensuring that rapid response capabilities join constant patrol and preparation.
I want to again remind all of you that this is an ongoing investigation, and anyone with information regarding this case should contact the UCA Police Department at (501) 450-3111. We also want anyone that has a need of the UCA Counseling Center to know that services are available at (501) 450-3138. For students who may need other support services, you may also contact the Office of the Dean of Students at (501) 450-3133. While we were beyond fortunate that this event was not more tragic, the emotional toll is still very heavy. If you need to talk to someone, please reach out to us and know that you are not alone.
Sincerely,
Houston Davis
President