Officer Down At MIT, Shooter At Large, Explosive Devices Used Against Police

Police are sweeping the campus in relation to the shooting at Building 32/76 (Stata/Koch), continue to stay indoors until further notice.

— MIT (@MITnews) April 19, 2013

Things are still becoming clear, but multiple sources are reporting a shooter on MIT’s campus. As of a little before 11:00 Eastern, one MIT police officer has been shot and killed, per the Cambridge Police

Police, DA Investigating Fatal Shooting of Campus Police Officer In Cambridge. #CambMA #MIT

— Cambridge Police (@CambridgePolice) April 19, 2013

MIT’s Twitter account is confirming that there the shooter remains at large, and are advising everyone on campus to get inside and stay there. There’s not a whole lot more detail than that right now, but we thought you should know.

At this point this week, I’ll level with you, folks, I just have no words here. Part of me wants to point out all the amazing stuff they do at MIT that we write about here, or how galling and incomprehensible it seems that this week (year?) of seemingly perpetual senseless violence just keeps going, but you know that already. Honestly, I’ve just got nothing right now.

We’ll bring you any more details on this as they develop and no doubt be following up in the morning with the full story, which will certainly be goddamn awful. Our thoughts are with the officer’s family, the students and faculty of MIT, and anyone else who has had horrible shit happen to them or someone they care about recently. There’s been just way too goddamn much of it going around of late.

UPDATE: Shots fired, possible grenades used against police in pursuit of suspect. May have stolen police vehicle.

Looks like police are setting up a perimeter. Explosives, possibly grenades, possibly dynamite in play.

1:05 AM – Police just advised to shut down cell phones for fear of setting off multiple explosive devices. Robot  – presumably bomb disposal – in field or getting there. This is all in Watertown, about 10 miles west of Boston. Please pardon my minimal to nonexistent New England geography. Things are happening very fast.

1:33 AM – One suspect in custody (possibly at Beth Israel Medical Center) one potentially still at large

1:47 AM – Still going – follow us @Geekosystem for more updates

2:18 AM – Police seemingly doing house to house searches in residential Watertown.

2:25 AM – “Shots fired near Mount Auburn” per police scanner

2:28 AM – more shots fired, unclear where

2:43 AM – “white male, grey hoodie, should be considered extremely armed and dangerous” – police scanner

3:04 AM – “Watertown is in foot pursuit”