Campus Life on Hold; Memorial for Johanna

This is superfluous to announce at this point, but all campus events are canceled this weekend until further notice, including the Senior Thesis Film screenings. No events calendar, no weekend update.

Stay in, talk to your friends and family. Maybe watch a movie. In light of the most recent news, be glad you're safe.

[EDIT 7:35 pm]

Situation change - starting tomorrow, things will sort of return to normal. With a high security presence, the libraries and dining halls will reopen, and a flexible finals schedule will be announced.

Email from President Roth:

After extensive consultation between Wesleyan and law enforcement officials, we have decided to begin to open the campus to more regular operations, starting with opening Usdan for a few hours this evening. We are instructing students to remain indoors after dinner tonight, but meals are being served, tomorrow morning the library will re-open, and before noon tomorrow there will be an announcement of a new, flexible schedule for final assignments. But we are still grieving; we still mourn.

There will also be a memorial vigil for Johanna Justin-Jinich tomorrow afternoon:

Tomorrow at 1 p.m., two days after the shooting that took the life of Johanna Justin-Jinich, Wesleyan will hold a brief memorial vigil in the Huss Courtyard behind the Usdan Center. There will be time for Johanna’s friends and family to plan other ceremonies at Wesleyan, and perhaps elsewhere. But tomorrow we will gather just to be with one another and remember. We will pay our respects to Johanna’s all-too-brief life.

We will gather now because we need to, because it is right to do so, and because we feel it is safe enough to do so. There is now a much more robust police presence on the Wesleyan campus, and we will retain that presence as long as necessary.

Let us come together tomorrow at 1 PM in compassionate solidarity with one another, and in remembrance of Johanna.

Memorial Vigil for Johanna Justin-Jinich
Date: Friday, May 8
Time: 1 pm
Place: Usdan courtyard

Morgan family calls on suspect to turn himself in

The Associated Press (in a wire report obtained through Danbury's News-Times) is reporting that the family of Stephen Morgan, alleged murderer of Johanna Justin-Jinich ’10, is urging him to turn himself in:

Stephen Morgan's family said in a statement at their Marblehead, Mass. home on Thursday that they are "shocked and sickened" by the slaying of a 21-year-old Wesleyan University student on Wednesday and are cooperating with authorities. They say they do not know where Morgan is or where he might go.

Morgan's sister Diana read an appeal to her brother saying the family loves and supports him and doesn't want anyone else to get hurt.

A neighbor of Morgan's said he comes from a "model family." Penny Wigglesworth lives one house away. She said she doesn't know Stephen Morgan well, but calls him pleasant and polite.

[EDIT 7:02, Sheek]

Rewards were announced for any information leading to Morgan's arrest:

There's also a $10,000 reward being offered for information leading to his arrest. A $5,000 reward "for any relevant information that leads to the capture or apprehension of Stephen Morgan" was authorized by the U.S. Marshal's Service. An additional $5,000 reward was authorized by Wesleyan University President Michael Roth.

Killer Planned a Wesleyan Campus Shooting Spree

The Hartford Courant has the most in-depth information about the Broad Street shooting yet, with a chilling explanation of exactly why we're currently in lockdown - police found a journal in Morgan's car which detailed his intention to murder Justin-Jinich, and then go on a killing spree at Wesleyan.

Which means that the administration handled the situation extremely well by shutting everything on campus down yesterday and containing students as soon as news of the shooting broke out.

After committing the murder, Morgan actually stuck around for a few minutes in the parking lot of Broad Street Books and was questioned by police as a witness, after which he disappeared:

Morgan wore a disguise, including a wig, inside Red & Black Books when he approached Johanna Justin-Jinich and shot her point blank seven times, law enforcement sources said. Morgan then dropped the gun, shed his clothes and the wig inside the bookstore and left but did not leave the area. Instead, when Middletown police arrived, he was one of many people milling around the area who police initially questioned.

An officer asked for his name and phone number in case they needed to contact him later on and let him go, the sources said.

It wasn't until hours later, when police heard Morgan's name as a possible suspect from Justin-Jinich's family, that they realized they had stopped him outside the bookstore. Sources said it isn't clear whether Morgan deliberately hung around to see the chaos he had created or if he was unable to leave because his vehicle was blocked in by responding police officers.

Police did confiscate Morgan's car, which had Colorado license plates. They believe Morgan escaped the area on foot.

Police later discovered a journal inside the car with an entry in which Morgan outlined his plan to rape and then kill Justin-Jinich before going on a shooting spree on the Wesleyan campus.

Police believe that Morgan came to the Middletown area from Boulder, Colo., at least one day before the shootings and stayed in a local hotel overnight. Sources said that Morgan and Justin-Jinich knew each other from Colorado although they are still trying to determine the depth of the relationship or why Morgan decided to drive across the country to kill her.

This really puts the gravity of the situation in perspective - I'm so grateful that no one else has been hurt. The authorities seem to be handling this situation well, and it seems incredibly unlikely that this guy is anywhere near Middletown at this point.

Hang in there, Wes.

A clip from a Middletown Police Department conference earlier today, with a statement by President Michael Roth:


Hartford Courant: Police Questiones Wesleyan Suspect Shortly After Killing

Dinner on campus

Wesleyan students, please check your e-mail for details about dinner plans, in case you haven't already. I don't think these dinner plans should be public info. Just in case.

Wesleyan Shooting/Lockdown: More News

Campus is still locked down. Recent news - apparently students in the Bayit have been relocated because of concerns about Morgan targeting the Jewish community.

Johanna Justin Jinich also took classes with her killer two summers ago at NYU, where she filed a harassment complaint against Morgan after repeated unwanted texts and phone calls. From the NY Times:

Investigators said a personal journal belonging to the man, whom the police identified as Stephen Morgan, 29, indicated that he could still be targeting the university, about 25 miles northeast of New Haven.

On the university’s Web site, officials said that Mr. Morgan’s journals had “expressed threats toward Wesleyan and/or its Jewish students.” A nearby synagogue, Congregation Adath Israel, closed on the counsel of local police, and a member of the Wesleyan community said that the university had relocated students who live at a Jewish center on campus.

On Wednesday, a 21-year-old junior identified as Johanna Justin-Jinich, from Timnath, Colo., a suburb of Fort Collins, was working in the cafe of a bookstore near the university campus when the police say Mr. Morgan shot her several times and fled into downtown Middletown. A friend who planned to room with Ms. Justin-Jinich this summer said that she was Jewish.

Officials at New York University on Thursday said that Ms. Justin-Jinich had filed a harassment complaint about Mr. Morgan at the end of the 2007 summer session, when the two were in enrolled in the same six-week course.

The complaint indicated that Ms. Justin-Jinich had “been receiving harassing e-mails and phone calls from Mr. Morgan,” according to a statement issued by a spokesman for N.Y.U., John Beckman. The university brought the matter to the attention of the New York Police Department, which conducted conversations with Ms. Justin-Jinich.

[...] The police report noted that Ms. Justin-Jinich never referred to him as a “boyfriend,” and friends of Ms. Justin-Jinich said that Mr. Morgan’s name did not come up in conversation.

Reporters from the Associated Press were obviously here earlier today. From the Huffington Post:

Most buildings on campus, including cafeterias and the library, were locked. Normally bustling sidewalks were empty and police cruisers patrolled the campus. In dorms, students dressed in flip-flops, gym shorts and pajama pants shuffled downstairs to pick up box lunches of roasted vegetable, tuna fish or cheese sandwiches.

"We're supposed to do some work, but really I just keep checking my e-mail and checking on friends and letting people from home know that I'm OK," said freshman Christina Yow, of China. "Anything to distract."

And an NBC 30 news report about the investigation:

Guiliano: Morgan's motel room searched

According to CNN, the Middletown police have searched the gunman's motel room, which led to the concerns that he is targeting Wesleyan and/or its Jewish community:

Concern for the Wesleyan community and the Jewish community "developed out of evidence that the police may have gotten when they executed search warrants on his car, on the motel room he was staying in," [Middletown mayor Sebastian] Giuliano said.

The article does not say whether this is related to the scene at the motel on Washington St. last night.

Special Updates Posted Here

We're currently experiencing some bandwidth problems with our wordpress blog, so we're using blogger right now to alleviate the issues. We'll return to Wesleying.org when those issues are resolved, but in the meantime updates will be posted here.

Official Updates, Update Your Emergency Contact Info

This message just came in from Corrie Kerr in Media Relations:

I wanted to let you know that this page
http://www.wesleyan.edu/newsrel/security/ will always have the latest information.

Students should rely on the Connect-ED system to update them as it has.

If they need to update/correct their email addresses or phone numbers for the alert system, they should do so.

Sebastian Giuliano on NBC30

Middletown mayor Sebastian Giuliano appeared on NBC30 this morning during its 6:00 newscast, discussing his reactions to the shooting and the effect on Wes and the Middletown community. A video clip of the interview is available here.

New Image of Suspect

I am not sure what this means about the other image that was circulating (possibly the wrong pic?), but the image below contains the new picture being circulated.



Also, live feed of the MPD press conference is available here. The press conference is no longer on the air.

[EDIT - Sheek, 12:50 pm]

It seems that the other picture was somebody totally unrelated with the same name. Campus Security has a clearer picture of Stephen Morgan:

Gunman still at-large; made threats against Wes/Jews

According to a campus e-mail and a public news conference (viewable here), the gunman "expressed threats in his personal journal toward Wesleyan and/or its Jewish students." We're all being urged to stay inside our residences. Basically everything that requires people walking around campus has been canceled - professors mostly aren't coming to campus, dining halls aren't open, and all meetings should be canceled. Wesleyan students, check your e-mail for info about how to acquire lunch safely.

As you've probably noticed, Wesleying isn't the most up-to-date source for information on this developing story. The site is having problems with bandwidth overload - we have put measures in place to make the site load more easily and reduce this problem, but it's not perfect. The ACB has the most up-to-date (if sometimes incorrect and unnecessarily panic-inducing) info, and the campus alerts have all the necessary info.

Also, NBC has reported additional details about how Stephen Morgan knew Johanna; apparently she had filed complaints against him in 2007.

Stay safe, Wesleyan.

[EDIT by Sheek, 12:23 pm]

To reiterate Beau's latest post, get the most up-to-date info on the situation from the Campus Security newsreel.

Security Update from Public Safety

Public Safety sends their latest campus-wide alert, email sent at 6:21 a.m. this morning:

The suspect in yesterday’s fatal shooting has not been apprehended. Based on the advice of local authorities, Wesleyan instructs all students to remain in their residences. Faculty and staff should not come to their offices unless otherwise instructed. We will be sending information soon in regard to food and other administrative services.

Please remain cautious. The police investigation continues, and we remain in contact with them about all developments. We will send information via the usual channels as it becomes available.

WTNH has aired investigation developments in their morning newscast. Police continue to search for the suspect, and have yet to disclose information regarding the motel search that took place late last night. Newscast Video Link

New information and reaction from Wes students

WTNH just aired some new developments as well as reactions from Wes students on its 11:00 newscast. Police surrounded a motel on Washington St. and, when WTNH arrived, had "a man with his hands behind his head" but told the reporter "we are not sure if we are going to make an arrest. This is an active scene. Please step back for your safety." There was a SWAT team on site as well.



Edit 11:45: I've uploaded the video to YouTube and waiting for it to be processed. In the meantime, you may view it here.

Johanna Justin-Jinich '10

Johanna Justin-Jinich ‘10 was killed by a gunman early this afternoon while working at her job in the Red & Black Cafe.

Our deepest condolences to Johanna's friends and family for this stunning loss. More information is being posted as it comes in. From the Hartford Courant:

Johanna Justin-Jinich, of Fort Collins, Colo., was shot several times at the Red and Black Café inside Broad Street Books. Her assailant, described as thin white man, then fled on foot and remains at large.

[...] "This is a devastating loss for Johanna's family, friends and for the entire Wesleyan community," Wesleyan President Michael S. Roth wrote. "Our hearts go out to all those who grieve for Johanna, and we hope all can find comfort in the support of friends, teachers and classmates."

Wesleyan students had planned a candlelight vigil Wednesday night to remember Justin-Jinich, but in a broadcast email to the Wesleyan community shortly before 7 p.m., officials warned against any such gathering.

Staff from the Office of Behavioral Health are available via the 24 hour on-call system by calling 860-685-2910.

Armed Gunman Still at Large

As if everyone wasn't enough on edge all day, the gunman responsible for the shooting at Broad Street is still on the loose.

Here's a photo from the Broad Street Books surveillance camera:

Police hold a photo of the alleged gunman who killed Wesleyan student Johanna Justin-Jinich '10. Photo credit: George Ruhe, Associated Press.

Earlier in the day, it seemed like the authorities either had a suspect in custody or didn't see a significant threat near the scene of the crime. Then everyone got nervous again:

6:54 pm:

Based on new information we have just received from Middletown Police, we are advising students to avoid large gatherings, return to their residences, and remain indoors for the rest of the evening. There is no reason to believe that the perpetrator of the shooting earlier today is on or near the campus, but we believe that the Wesleyan community could possibly be at risk. We realize that some students want to come together tonight to console each other, but such gatherings are not advisable at this time.

We will continue to provide updates to the campus community via e-mail as additional information becomes available. Meanwhile, please immediately report any suspicious people or circumstances to Public Safety at 860-685-2222.

And decided to spend the rest of the night at home:

7:10 PM:

Based upon additional information found processing the crime scene, we would recommend Wesleyan students and Middletown residents remain vigilant. The suspect is at large and considered armed and dangerous. Students and the Wesleyan community are advised to remain indoors while Middletown Police continue this investigation.

And then Usdan was evacuated, campus was suddenly crawling with police again, and we're waiting for more news.

[EDIT - 10:38 pm]

They know who the guy is. Still on the run though. Latest PSafe alert:

We have recently received information from the Middletown police with pictures of the alleged gunman in the attack this afternoon, who has been identified as Stephen Morgan.

We remind students to stay indoors and to report any suspicious activities to the MPD (860 344-3200). We will send additional information as it becomes available. We plan to send another broadcast message at approximately 6:30 am.

Broad Street Shooting: Video from the Scene

A report from WTNH earlier today:



And from NECN.com:


NY Times: Wesleyan University Student Is Killed

Call your parents.

If you're safe right now, and you haven't done so already, please call your parents and let them know you're OK. If they've heard about this on the news, they will be freaking out right now.

BREAKING: Student Shot and Killed at Broad Street Books; Spring Fling Cancelled

UPDATE 7:48pm

The latest phone/e-mail update:

Based upon additional information found processing the crime scene, we would recommend Wesleyan students and Middletown residents remain vigilant. The suspect is at large and considered armed and dangerous. Students and the Wesleyan community are advised to remain indoors while Middletown Police continue this investigation.

UPDATE 6:55pm
Latest text message: "Urgent security update at 6:50pm. Please check voicemail or e-mail immediately." No calls yet, and no e-mail either...

UPDATE 5:11pm
Another all-campus e-mail just went out:

According to the Middletown Police Department at this time there is no reason to believe that the perpetrator of the shooting at Broad Book Street Books is on the Wesleyan campus. We are advised that students may return to their normal routines, though we ask everyone to be vigilant and safety conscious. With that in mind, you may notice increased presence of Public Safety and Middletown Police officers on campus.

The Library and the Freeman Athletic Center are closed for the remainder of the day. Meal service has been moved to the Usdan University Center.

There will be additional announcements via email as information becomes available.

UPDATE 3:21pm

From an all-campus e-mail:

This is an update of the emergency notification sent earlier this afternoon. A Wesleyan student was fatally shot at Red and Black Café this afternoon. The name of the student will be released upon notification of her immediate family. A gun was recovered at the scene of the shooting, however the suspect is still at large. Students, faculty and staff are urged to remain indoors while Middletown Police continue to search for suspect(s). All campus events scheduled for today, including Spring Fling, are canceled.

Michael Roth
President

UPDATE 2:49pm The Hartford Courant reports: Student Shot Dead Near Wesleyan:

MIDDLETOWN - A Wesleyan student was shot and killed in a midday shooting at a popular bookstore near the Wesleyan University campus around 1 p.m. today, police sources said.

A witness said someone entered Broad Street Books, at the intersection of Broad and William Street, approached a woman behind the counter and fired multiple shots.

Police are still searching for the gunman, whom they describe as a white male with a thin build. They recovered a gun at the scene, said Middletown Police Lt. Margaret Liseo. Police have cordoned off the area, she said.

All schools in Middletown were locked down as a precaution, Liseo said. A statement from Wesleyan University recommended that students and staff should remain indoors and remain there until further notice.

Police and medical personnel have temporarily closed nearby streets. Officers appeared briefly on the roof of Broad Street Books. Armed officers in fatigues are in the area, and two officers followed a police dog as it ran up William Street, apparently in pursuit of the suspect. Police said the gunman was a white male with a thin build.

The university also canceled the annual “Spring Fling” outdoor party on campus. Hundreds of students had gathered on campus for the event that started at noon today but were ordered to go indoors after the shooting.

I just got a text message from the Wesleyan emergency system that reads:

There has been a shooting near campus. Students, faculty and staff should remain indoors. Check e-mail for additional info.

The first e-mail just came in:

This is Mike Whaley, VP for Student Affairs with a Wesleyan Community Alert.

Middletown Police has notified the University that a shooting occurred just after 1:00pm today in the area of Broad Street Books. The suspect has not yet been identified. Middletown Police have responded to the area. We advise students, faculty and staff to remain indoors until more information is available.

As more information is obtained the community will be notified via e-mail.

Listen to the voice message that went out as an emergency notification here.

I’m off campus, so in addition to these messages, all I’ve heard is that the hill was cleared off.

Feel free to share updates/info in the comments of this post.

UPDATE from WFSB:

MIDDLETOWN, Conn. — Police said a woman was shot in a Middletown bookstore on Wednesday afternoon.

The shooting took place at about 1 p.m. in Broad Street Books, Wesleyan University’s bookstore.

The victim said she didn’t know the shooter.