“We’ve never had any shootings or threats of shootings ever on the St. Lawrence campus whatsoever,” Sergeant Dave Richer of SLU Safety & Security says.
Richer has been at St. Lawrence for nearly 26 years and says that he has never experienced anything of a similar nature to the shootings that took place in Geneseo, NY.
“Something like this could happen anywhere but St. Lawrence has a very good active shooter plan as a result of our on-going training and support from the administration,” he says. This support stems from “being involved in the planning system, altering testing systems when needed, securing buildings and being prepared for an event like this if one should occur” he adds.
The shooting at Geneseo was simply an unimaginable tragedy. Many in the St. Lawrence community continue to watch closely as the neighboring Geneseo community morns the SUNY Geneseo seniors Kelsey Annese, 21, and Matthew Hutchinson, 24 who were stabbed in the apartment where Annese lived off campus on the morning of January 17, 2016. Both beloved student- athletes, Annese and Hutchinson were stabbed by Annese’s ex-boyfriend, Colin Kingston, 24 of Geneseo who was upset over their recent breakup, according to Geneseo police. Kingston then killed himself, law enforcement officials confirmed on January 18.
Kingston, a former student at SUNY Geneseo, called his father after killing both students and said he had “hurt his ex- girlfriend, Kelsey Annese, and was considering taking his own life,” according to The New York Times. The father then called 911 but when officers arrived to the scene, all three were dead.
FBI highlights from 2000-2013 (the most updated collection of statistics) indicate that of 160 incidents, at least 107 ended before police arrived and could engage the shooter, either because a citizen intervened, the shooter fled or the shooter committed suicide or was killed by someone at the scene.
In 64 incidents where the duration of the incident could be ascertained, 44 of 64 incidents ended in 5 minutes or less, with 23 ending in 2 minutes or less, according to the FBI. “It is clear from these statistics that even when law enforcement was present or able to respond within minutes, civilians often had to make life and death decisions,” Richer says. “Therefore, everyone should be engaged in training and discussions on the decisions they may face at any time.”
“We have trained over 1,000 community members with the program SHOTS FIRED in which we present the St. Lawrence faculty, staff and some students with an actual video that gives a scenario of what to do, protocols and plans that are in place,” Richer says. Ongoing planning has been in place for live drills for the past 3 years and members of the team ran a ‘shelter in place’ drill using our notification system last spring semester for a five minute duration, which Richer states went very well.
The narrative of the Geneseo case points to signs that Kingston was upset over his three-year relationship that Annese had ended and while no evidence has surfaced that it was an abusive relationship, the incident points to signs of control, jealousy and passiveness, according to the Democrat & Chronicle.
The SUNY Geneseo community gathered on January 20 to remember and celebrate the two student athletes, according to Jeff DiVeronica of the Democrat & Chronicle. The ceremony lasted about 90 minutes with pictures of each victim bordering the podium.
Annese was a Webster Schroeder graduate and a senior on the Geneseo Women’s basketball team. She was majoring in education and Spanish. She also student taught nearby at Livonia Elementary. One third-grader says of Anneese that she was “nice, sweet and beautiful,” as reported in the Democrat & Chronicle.
Geneseo coaches, faculty members, peers and more are affected by the loss of Annese, including Mikaela Thompson’16, a friend and Webster Schroeder graduate with Annese. Thompson attended Annese’s funeral this past Saturday back home in Webster, NY.
“Kels was not only a great student and an outstanding athlete but a friend that you could always count on,” Thompson reflects. “Whenever you needed someone, she was there for you. She was the friend who everyone wanted to be around and although she is gone; I know she will still inspire everyone to be just like her.”
Annese’s basketball coach Scott Hemer says, “None of this will be easy, nor should it be.” Hemer awarded Annese a team captain position this winter due to what he says was her “dedication and commitment to the team event though she was only a backup guard.”
“But like our team, we must all work together to move forward – not because we should or can – but because we choose to,” Hemer adds. “That’s what Kelsey would have wanted,” he says in a Democrat & Chronicle article.
Hutchinson was a senior defenseman on the ice hockey team as well as a member of SAAC. Originally from British Columbia, Hutchinson was a geography major and also a volunteer for the Geneseo Fire Department.
SUNY Geneseo men’s hockey coach Chris Schultz said of Hutchinson, “He was the poster, the symbol and the beacon of light that our entire community rallied around at our games,” according to the Democrat & Chronicle.
Hutchinson’s team defeated Cortland this past Saturday in an emotional match. Members of the Geneseo hockey team wore a “23” patch on their jerseys in honor of Hutchinson’s number and a pre-game moment of silence was held.
Many other sports teams at Geneseo, such as the swim team, also honored Hutchinson by writing “23” in sharpie on their arms, according to Jeff Doser, my brother and a sophomore student-athlete at SUNY Geneseo. Doser attended the hockey match with his teammates.
“The atmosphere was unbelievable. It didn’t feel like there were 2,500 separate people in the stadium,” Doser says. “We were all connected. That’s what Geneseo is all about. We’re a
family, and we are always there for each other.”
Hutchinson’s presence shown through not only on the ice, but in almost everything he did.
“Matt was really in the upper echelon of our department,” Geneseo Fire Chief Andrew Chanler told CNN affiliate WIVB. “He was trained and qualified to perform all duties as a firefighter. He also held EMT certification, so really there wasn’t anything that Matt couldn’t do with us. So it’s been very difficult for our department.”
SUNY Geneseo President Denis A Battles says that the loss of life, particularly at young ages is “always sad,” according to an article in the Democrat & Chronicle. “But in this case the lights extinguished in this tragedy are felt more keenly because each possessed a sparkling personality and zest for life that drew others to them.”
St. Lawrence University is a secure campus and has an active shooter plan with preparation and training. Every patrol car has detailed building drawings. “We can open those plans up and visually see how the locations of the buildings are set up,” Richer says. “For example, when the chapel fire occurred, we had staging locations set up without any time delay. We also have tech support and phones and such ready to set up a command post.”
“We meet with the law enforcement in the community on a regular basis. Assistant VP Pat Gagnon and the Emergency Planning Team have done a great job doing this,” Richer says. “We continue to educate the community and ourselves. I just did a presentation for the CA’s (community assistants) not too long ago and it’s surprising for them when I give them FBI facts as well. To continue this level of training and awareness is extremely important. We’re trained significantly as officers and we try our best to pass this information on to faculty staff and students.”
The SUNY Geneseo students and community are in our thoughts here at St. Lawrence University and on behalf of the University, we wish anyone and everyone affected by this tragedy the time that is required for healing to occur.