CINCINNATI — Cincinnati police are investigating two shootings reported near the University of Cincinnati campus within two days, including one that happened just hours before students began classes for the fall semester Monday.
Both shootings happened around 3 a.m. No arrests have been made, and both victims are expected to survive, police said.
The incidents also raised questions about UC’s emergency notification system after some people said they did not receive alerts about Monday morning’s police activity.
Officers responded to reports of shots fired Monday near Calhoun and South Market streets. Police blocked off portions of Jefferson Avenue and Calhoun Street while officers investigated.
Around the same time, a person arrived at a local hospital with a gunshot wound. The victim told police he was near the Stop-N-Go on McMillan Street when he was shot, police said. He is expected to survive.
Police have not confirmed whether the shooting victim and the reported gunfire are connected.
UC sent students several emergency notifications as the situation unfolded. UC Police Lt. David Brinker said the university issues updates approximately every 15 minutes during an active incident, followed by a final alert when the area is considered safe.
“When we send an alert out, we want to try to give updates,” Brinker said. “There was only one incident that was going on, but we give updates every 15 minutes to keep them up to date with what’s going on.”
UC students are automatically opted into the notification system, Brinker said. However, the alerts depend on the contact information students enter in the university’s Catalyst system.
“Sometimes a student doesn’t have their cell phone number in Catalyst,” Brinker said. “Maybe they have a parent’s number, so when those alerts go out, it’s not going to the student, it’s going to a parent or someone else.”
Brinker encouraged anyone who did not receive Monday’s warnings to check the phone number listed in Catalyst.
Second-year UC student Liam Pfeffer said he woke up to several notifications about the incident.
“A lot of the time I don’t even know they happened until I wake up and I see four texts from UC,” Pfeffer said.
While Pfeffer said the volume of messages can sometimes become frustrating, he said he understands that the university is trying to keep students informed.
“If you know what you’re doing and just be safe," Pfeffer said. "I never have felt in danger of my life around this campus."
Brinker said awareness is particularly important as students return for a new semester at an urban campus. He recommended that students remain aware of their surroundings and keep at least one ear uncovered when wearing headphones or earbuds.
“Campus is extremely safe. Off-campus is safe as well, but we are on an urban campus, and things do happen from time to time,” Brinker said. “The biggest thing is awareness.”
Students can also use the Bearcat Guardian app to communicate with UC Police, submit information anonymously and send photographs. Its Safety Walk feature allows students to share their location with a designated person while traveling between locations.
UC also works with Cincinnati police to patrol areas near campus where students live and socialize. Brinker said the university spends more than $1 million annually on additional Cincinnati police patrols and meets with the department regularly to review crime trends and determine where officers should be deployed.
The Monday shooting came one day after a separate shooting near Moerlein Avenue and Lyon Street.
Police received a report of that shooting shortly after 3 a.m. Sunday. One person was taken to a hospital with a gunshot wound to the arm, police said. The injury was not considered life-threatening.
Police have not released any suspect information in either case.
Investigators have not said whether the two shootings are connected or whether any UC students were involved. No arrests have been made.
