NCCU students worry about safety after bomb threat, crime in Durham

Seven historically Black colleges and universities were placed on lockdown Tuesday due to threats, including North Carolina Central University.

An Eagle Alert from NCCU told staff and students to evacuate campus on Tuesday afternoon and go home. Students who could not return home were asked to report to Hillside High School parking lot.

All campus buildings were under lockdown for several hours as law enforcement investigated.

As students are preparing for the spring semester in an ongoing pandemic, this bomb threat on HBCU’s only added another layer of stress for many.

Public safety has been a major priority for this university in particular as crime in Durham has reached the campus several times.

Some are calling for more action.

"It's really devastating to know that people got it in their heart about bombing HBCUS’s," said a student at NCCU, Justin Wright. “I feel like it’s more so like a hate crime. Somebody who just don’t want to see black people succeed. It didn’t really sit well with me."

This incident comes with the spring semester starting on Monday. And students like Kennecia Woolard have already experienced some traumatizing events here. In 2020, a bullet flew through dorm room window.

"I honestly felt like the updates were a little slow. I wanted a little bit more. We wanted more updates. Is everybody OK? Did everyone evacuate safely? Is there an actual person within the area who is threatening the university?" said Woolard.

The university said it followed its procedures in a statement, saying, "The campus was immediately placed on lockdown and alert notifications were issued to students and employees.”

Crime in Durham overall continues to reach the campus community. An unrelated shooting on campus during a football game last fall placed thousands of fans on lockdown. 

Students told WRAL News they hope to see more security on campus in the days to come.

Police spent hours sweeping the campus as students evacuated. The FBI is aware of the situation and released a statement saying they take all potential threats seriously and regularly work with law enforcement partners to determine their credibility.

Other HBCUs placed on lockdown Tuesday were Xavier University in Louisiana, Texas Southern University, Prairie View A&M University in Texas, Howard University in Washington, D.C., and Norfolk State University in Virginia.