A search was underway Saturday night for a suspected gunman near the University of Notre Dame campus after gunfire was reported in the Eddy Street Commons area, authorities said. The incident unfolded while Notre Dame's football team was playing Michigan State, prompting the university to issue an emergency alert instructing people inside Notre Dame Stadium to remain there and others on campus to shelter in place.
The suspect was described as a heavy-set Black male wearing blue shorts, a black shirt and one white shoe, according to the university's emergency alert system. The alert said the suspect was last seen along the southern edge of campus as police searched the area. St. Joseph County Dispatch received the initial call at approximately 7:37 p.m., according to ABC57.
One person was transported to a hospital, though officials did not immediately release information about that person's condition or the circumstances surrounding the reported gunfire. Authorities advised members of the public to avoid the area as the search continued.
The shelter-in-place order applied to the broader campus while the stadium was placed under a remain-in-place instruction, a distinction that reflects how university emergency protocols separate the densely packed venue from the surrounding grounds. The alert system is designed to push rapid instructions to students, staff and visitors during active threats.
Eddy Street Commons is a mixed-use development adjacent to the campus that includes restaurants, shops and residential units, an area typically busy on football weekends when fans gather before and after games. The reported gunfire sent those visitors and nearby residents into lockdown as law enforcement saturated the southern edge of campus.
Notre Dame home football Saturdays draw tens of thousands of spectators to the stadium and surrounding campus, creating a complex security environment for local and university police. The game against Michigan State was in progress when the alert was issued, leaving fans inside the stadium waiting for clearance while officers searched outside.
St. Joseph County Dispatch fielded the first call shortly after 7:30 p.m., and the search remained active as of the latest available information. Officials did not provide a timeline for lifting the shelter-in-place order or additional details about the hospitalized individual.
The investigation is ongoing, and authorities have asked the public to stay away from the Eddy Street Commons area and the southern portion of campus. Further updates are expected as police continue to search for the suspect.