Bomb Threat Reported at Washington and Lee University

Campus declared safe after law enforcement conducted an extensive search.

Washington and Lee University received a bomb threat on the morning of July 10, prompting the evacuation of its campus. The evacuation order was lifted at 3:30 that afternoon following an extensive search by local and state law enforcement.

Students and staff were first notified of the situation through email and text messages sent at 8:16 AM. A subsequent message sent at 8:54 AM said law enforcement had arrived on campus.

University president William Dudley emailed the W&L community later that afternoon. “I understand this incident was a source of considerable stress and anxiety for those on campus, and I appreciate your patience and cooperation as law enforcement conducted the search. This incident, like any security threat to our campus, will be investigated thoroughly and handled according to the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia,” he said in the email.

The incident comes after a November 1, 2023 threat kept students and staff locked down on campus for nearly four hours. There was also a bomb threat reported in December, 2022; no lock down was deemed necessary, although students were told to avoid Elrod Commons while law enforcement conducted a search. Fortunately, both threats were not ultimately credible.

W&L spokesperson Drewry Sackett told The Spectator that the university would be unable to provide further details at this time given the ongoing investigation.

In a July 17 statement to The Spectator, Lexington Police Department said that “W&L University Public Safety requested Law Enforcement for vandalism. Vandalism stated there was a bomb on campus. Law Enforcement acted and implemented protective measures.”