The Office of Public Safety and Emergency Management is investigating an incident on campus in which four individuals fired multiple rounds from airsoft pellet guns at an Ithaca College student. The incident occurred at about 10:30 p.m. on Monday, February 21, in the S parking lot, west of Emerson Hall. The victim was struck twice but was not injured.
The victim reported the incident to Public Safety, describing the suspects as wearing dark clothing with hoodies and face coverings. The victim said the four suspects left the area in a small silver sedan, traveling in the direction of the Garden Apartments and Coddington Rd.
At about 3:10 a.m. on Tuesday, February 22, Cornell University Police officers reported they had stopped a vehicle on the Cornell campus for an unrelated offense that matched the vehicle description from Ithaca College. The four teenaged male occupants were found in possession of pellet guns. Ithaca College Public Safety and the Ithaca Police Department responded to the scene.
None of the suspects is a student at Ithaca College or Cornell and they were not known by the victim prior to what is believed to have been a random act. Criminal charges have not yet been filed at this time, as the Ithaca College Office of Public Safety investigation is continuing. The Ithaca Police Department is investigating these individuals in connection to recent incidents of pellet gun shootings in the city of Ithaca.
The Office of Public Safety reminds campus community members to always be aware of their surroundings and to immediately report all unusual or suspicious behaviors, vehicles, and activity.
If anyone has any information or knowledge regarding this incident, please contact the Office of Public Safety at 607-274-3333 or leave an anonymous voicemail message at 607-274-1060.