Colorado State experiences crisis
T. Rees Shapiro, CT Staff Writer
Thursday, April 19 2007
Just days after the Virginia Tech massacre of April 16, the students of Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado, awoke today to learn of their own campus emergency. The event shocked some students worried about the safety of their campus after watching the developments unfold concerning the massacre at Virginia Tech."It's weird to have it strike so close to home," Tom Phelan, a sophomore equine science major said. "You never think this could hit your campus."
Last night at 4:04 a.m., The CSU police department received a 911 call from a distressed student of the Edwards resident hall explaining a suspicious man was running rampant on the roof. An anonymous resident advisor in Edwards Hall described the events to the Collegiate Times.
"Apparently (an individual) climbed on top of the roof of our dorm and threatened to commit suicide," the RA said. "He wasn't a CSU student, but I heard he had arrived on campus because he was fleeing from the scene of a house he attempted to break and enter into. He wanted to kill himself than rather be caught."After the recent tragic events on the Virginia Tech campus, unfortunate thoughts of a more drastic devastation occurring at her own University were hard to comprehend.
"I'm still trying to deal with it happening," the RA said. "I'm still processing the information."
"It's a shame it had to happen so quickly after the tragedy at Virginia Tech," Phelan said. "But I was glad to see the fast response from CSUPD and Fort Collins."
The CSU police department responded to the event in two minutes.
"The Campus police received the call at 4:04 a.m. and were on the scene at 4:06 a.m.," University Relations Officer Brad Bohlander stated.
In an official document sent to all members of the University community the Campus Police Chief Yarbrough stated the following:
"Charles Holland was seen on the roof of Edwards Hall a student residence on the main Colorado State University campus. The police began negotiating with the individual immediately and managed the situation until the individual was arrested at 6:14 a.m."
"The man was not armed...however, to ensure safety, the area was secured and remained in police control until Holland was arrested. In addition to CSUPD, Fort Collins police negotiators were called to the scene and Poudre Fire Authority and Poudre Valley Hospital ambulances."
Bohlander described how about 100 students on the north east side of the dorm, where the assailant was located, were awoken and moved to the basement of Edwards. Yarbrough described that as a further precaution all the neighboring dorms surrounding Edwards Hall were notified and put on a lock-down status.
"All entrances into Edwards and surrounding halls were locked down so no one could enter," Yarbrough said. "And staff was stationed at all doors to alert students of the situation wishing to leave. Surrounding roads and entrances onto campus were also blocked."
"The Campus police department were on the roof with the assailant by 4:11 a.m., five minutes after they arrived on the scene," Bohlander said.
"The police isolated Holland to one part of the roof, and after two hours of negotiating, the suspect voluntarily surrendered and was arrested," Bohlander said.
Students were returned to their rooms two hours after they were forced to leave.
"As of 6:40 a.m. residents of Edwards Hall were cleared to return to their rooms," Yarbrough stated.
"This student's actions are exactly what police rely on to help protect our campus community," Yarbrough said. "It is important for everyone in our community to take initiative in reporting anything that seems our of the ordinary, or suspicious, to the police. We all play a role in campus safety."The Colorado State campus is significantly smaller than Virginia Tech's 2,600 acre land mass; it only occupies one block of the 134,000 person city. But as Bohlander pointed out, there isn't much traffic on the campus at four in the morning, however, he said the Colorado State police department average response time is two to four minutes.
However, the event still shocked some students, worried about the safety of their campus after watching the developments unfold concerning the massacre at Virginia Tech.
"It's weird to have it strike so close to home," Phelan said. "You never think this could hit your campus."When asked about security issues on campus, Phelan noted the heightened awareness on campus the authorities were demonstrating.
"There were tons of extra police," Phelan said. "You can't go anywhere without seeing them."The events of the early morning occurred the day of Colorado State's "I Love CSU Day," a campus wide university pride event.
"While everyone was wearing their green and gold today," Bohlander said, "Our hearts were with VT during our campus wide vigil that was held at noon our time. My eyes just tear up thinking about how amazing it was."
The assailant arrested will face second degree trespassing charges by the Colorado State Police Department. But these recent charges are not the first for Charles Holland. His rap sheet, includes: robbery, kidnapping, aggravated assault, harassment, burglary and felony menacing. The Fort Collins police will handle the outstanding warrant for Holland concerning these out of state counts.