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Man shot at Harvard residence hall

E-mail|Link|Comments () May 18, 2009 06:22 PM

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(Globe photo/Matthew J. Lee)

Resident Robert Parker stands outside Kirkland House after the shooting this afternoon.

By Maria Cramer, Globe Staff, and Emma Rose Johnson, Globe Correspondent

CAMBRIDGE -- A man was shot this afternoon at the entrance of a Harvard University residence hall, and police were searching for several assailants. Tom Conley, house master of Kirkland House, told the student newspaper that the victim was not a Harvard student.

The shooting shattered the calm on the campus as students were studying for final exams.

Sergeant James DeFrancesco of the Cambridge Police said that after authorities were alerted about 4:50 p.m. they found the victim on Dunster Street, outside Kirkland, one of Harvard's 12 undergraduate houses. DeFrancesco said the victim was taken to the hospital and was in stable condition with a single gunshot wound to the abdomen.

Streets near the scene were blocked off, and the Cambridge and Harvard police departments were combing Harvard Square for suspects, according to a message sent to the Harvard community. University officials asked students to remain where they are and report unusual activity to the Harvard Police Department.

Harvard President Drew Gilpin Faust arrived on the scene at 7:45 p.m. but declined to comment on the shooting before entering Kirkland to meet with residents.

The Harvard Crimson, citing a witness who attends Harvard School of Dental Medicine, said the shooting victim appeared to be college-aged. The victim was bleeding but conscious when emergency responders arrived.

Kathleen Breeden, a senior who lives on the top floor of Kirkland House, said she heard three muffled gunshots in quick succession and was afraid to go outside her room.

“We didn’t know what was going on,'' she said. "A lot of people were calling and checking on us to see if we were all OK. ''

“Harvard is really, really safe,'' she said. "It is actually kind of shocking.”

About 20 minutes later, she said, a Harvard police officer knocked on her suite door to check on her and to tell her to stay put.

The investigation extended into the evening, leaving students still searching for answers.

Danielle Alexander, another senior living in Kirkland House, said just before 8 p.m. that she could see a police forensics team outside her window and that police officers were walking through the house looking for witnesses.

“We’re just sort of confused about whether a student was involved, or whether someone was running in and there was a student in the way,” Alexander said.

Doors to Harvard dorms are normally locked and only those with key cards can enter.