Man on Bicycle Opens Fire Near Harvard University; Police Launch Search for Suspect

Police in Cambridge, Massachusetts, responded on Friday to reports of a shooting near Harvard University after a man on a bicycle allegedly opened fire at another person. A search for the suspect is ongoing.

“Cambridge Police are reporting that an unidentified male on a bicycle just shot at another person on Sherman Street. The suspect is on a bicycle heading toward Garden Street. Please avoid the area and shelter in place,” read an alert posted on the university’s website.

Harvard University briefly issued a shelter-in-place order, which was lifted later in the day. Police confirmed that no victims have been found and there is no ongoing threat to public safety.

“Cambridge Police are currently on scene of a shots fired incident that took place on Sherman St. in the vicinity of Danehy Park. Ballistic evidence has been recovered. There are no known victims or ongoing public safety risk at this time,” the department said in a statement.

The university urged the campus community to “remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity” to the Harvard University Police Department.

Initial reports indicated that the suspected shooter fled on a bicycle toward Garden Street, which connects North Cambridge to Harvard Square and the Radcliffe Quad.

Roughly 20 minutes after the first alert, some students and nearby residents were still outside in the Quad area, though it was fully cleared by 11:40 a.m. Staff at one residential house reportedly instructed students to remain indoors until police declared the area safe.