By Courtney Cole/ Managing Editor 

A suspicious person on campus caused some alarm to a Missouri Valley College student Thursday.

According to report from the Department of Public Safety, a random individual, who was not believed to be a student, wandered onto campus around 1:15 p.m. smoking what appeared to be marijuana. The suspect was described as an African American male around 6’2″ with dreads. He appeared to be in his late twenties and was wearing no shirt with black sweats. The report states the man had also offered the student some marijuana. 

The student stated that the man had said there gang wars happening in Marshall and that the college students were in the middle of the war. He further stated the students would be easy targets to get shot.

According to the statement from Public Safety, the Marshall Police Department currently does not know of any gang violence or of an active gang in or around the city of Marshall. In addition, shootings in town are very rare. According the Missouri State Highway Patrol, there have been two murders in Marshall since 2017 (one each in 2018 and 2019.)

Despite the recent incident, students on campus do not appear to be concerned for their safety.

Blake Shawty, a sophomore, feels safe at the college because he has God on his side and that he is always watching over him no matter what. In his opinion the college could make campus safer by adding more public safety.

“But at the same time it is a small campus so nothing really happens,” Shawty said.

Dashawn Gregory, a junior from Greenville, Ky., also believes that he is safe campus because it is Marshall. He said the college doesn’t need to anything else to secure campus. 

“Being from where I am from, Marshall, Missouri is the safest,” Gregory said.

Students who observe suspicious activity or a firearm are advised to contact 911 immediately.