On January 19 at 2:31 p.m. Point Park police sent a message through the Point Alert system to inform students and faculty of a shooting at the Subway T-station on Wood Street. The suspect was 18-year-old Erique Collington who shot and killed 23-year-old Eugene Nance according to WTAE. 

At the time of the shooting students were scattered on and off campus. Emily Vath is a BFA junior theater arts major. She was working in the Play House when she received the Point Alert. 

“I had to walk to class, but thankfully I was going in the other direction,” Vath said. “My first thought was will I be able to go outside and continue my day? I was very scared.”

This is the second shooting that students have been notified about through Point Alert this school year. Vath thinks that it’s “very upsetting.”  

Allicia Broyard is a junior psychology major. She was inside of her apartment when she received the Point Alert.

“Like it feels useful when they actually send it out, so I remember before break there was another shooting I think,” Broyard said, “I remember it snowing that day because the roads were really bad, so my class ended early, but I just remember we didn’t get anything for like hours, and it was pretty close to campus too but we didn’t get anything. “

Broyard was “glad” to get the notification to “stay alert.” 

“I was trying to make a map in my brain and locate where everyone that I knew and loved was, trying to make sure that people were safe,” Broyard said. 

At the time of the shooting Broyard’s roommates had just entered their apartment. 

“I was like ‘ok, all my roommates are safe,’” Broyard said. “I texted my two best friends to make sure they were safe.”

This Point Alert was more timely than the last one.

SGA Graphic Designer Julianne Bailey previously spoke to The Globe in November about the malfunction the system had. According to Bailey, once the software issue was fixed Tim Wilson planned to expand Point Alert.

“He wants it to be set up so that all of the laptops and all of the computer labs on campus, when there is a Point Alert, emergency or shooting, or something like that,” Bailey said. “Those computers themselves will also get alerts.”

A second possible shooter, who allegedly was spotted on surveillance video also firing towards the direction of Nance, was taken into custody with Collington. However, at this point, only Collington’s arrest has been made.