In a campus wide email, UCPD announced that at about 12:28 a.m. on May 10, they were notified of a shooting threat sent via Snapchat. The Snapchat appeared on a black screen and read, “I’m shooting up UC Riverside tomorrow.1st Black school shooter going down in History.”
UCPD sent another email update at 2:11 a.m. that stated that UCPD is in ongoing discussions with UC Riverside campus leadership about this issue. They also stated, “Classes will continue on Friday as normally scheduled and UCPD will provide updates as soon as possible.”
At 3:33 a.m., a third email update from UCPD stated that they had arrested a suspect in connection with the Snapchat message. They reiterated that classes will continue normally as scheduled. According to a fourth email update at approximately 12:05 p.m., the suspect was identified as 24-year old Matthew Woolridge of Riverside, California. They stated that, based on the findings of the officer’s investigation, Woolridge was arrested and booked into Riverside County Jail for Criminal Threats (422 of California Penal Code). Woolridge is not affiliated with UCR, according to UCPD.
In response to the threat, Chancellor Kim Wilcox sent out a mass email which stated that, “Once it was clear that there was no active threat to the campus, I made the decision to continue our operations as planned for the day.” Wilcox thanked the UCR faculty and staff who supported the members of the campus community who needed “specific accommodations” following this incident. “Even though an arrest has been made, I realize that this incident can be upsetting for a variety of reasons – especially in light of recent shootings occurring across the country,” stated Wilcox.
Wilcox encouraged students to make full use of the campus resources available to students and employees if they have experienced any trauma or other effects related to this threat. Wilcox went on to state, “I want to assure you that the safety of the campus and our students, faculty, and staff is a top priority. We welcome your feedback on opportunities to make our campus the safest community possible.”
When questioned for further information by the Highlander, UCPD stated that there is no additional information to be released that is not currently included in their email updates. Their investigation into the matter continues.
