UPDATED: This story was updated on Aug. 11, 2024, at 9:10 a.m. CST to include an updated university statement reflecting the latest number of injured and arrested individuals.
The AlertVU system notified the Vanderbilt community of a shooting “reported near the Vanderbilt campus at Sutherland” at 4:43 p.m. CST today. A later message expanded the area of concern to the MAPCO on 21st Ave.
Nashville 311, an X account that reports on police activity in Nashville but is unaffiliated with the Metro Nashville Police Department, also reported a “riot/disorderly crowd” at 1900 South Drive, the address of Sutherland House on Commons, at 4:43 p.m. CST.
Almost an hour after the original alert, an additional AlertVU message notified the community that a suspect had been detained. Both VUPD and MNPD were on the scene at Sutherland House and MAPCO. MAPCO was the location of concern in AlertVU messages last month, where a reported shooting was later confirmed to have happened elsewhere.
A university representative said the investigation is ongoing with no active threat to the university campus.
“Police are investigating an altercation between external contractors conducting maintenance at an unoccupied Vanderbilt University residence hall,” the representative said in a message to The Hustler. “At this point, police are reporting shots fired by at least two individuals and five people are now in custody. Two people have been transported to Vanderbilt University Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries.”
The representative declined to comment on the delay between the original alert and the update specifying that officers were on the scene. A university statement released later Saturday night specified that two of the five individuals remained in custody, and a total of three individuals were being treated at VUMC for non-life-threatening injuries.
This piece will be updated as more information becomes available.
