We are saddened, with the rest of the Iowa State community, after the shooting in Campustown this weekend that injured three individuals. We are also saddened that the Iowa State community did not received a timely warning or any information from authorities until nearly five hours after the incident had occurred.

The first time the public had word from authorities was at 6:23 a.m. Sunday, almost five hours after the shooting had taken place around 1:30 a.m. This word came from Ames Police in the form of a press release that was pushed out on social media.

While the nature of the incident occurring off campus meant that the investigation was in Ames Police’s jurisdiction, Iowa State Police was involved by aiding Ames Police immediately after, Ames Police Cmdr. Geoff Huff said. In addition, Ames Police communicated “immediate and accurate” information to Iowa State Police, said Aaron DeLashmutt, interim assistant vice president and chief of police.

“While I cannot speak to the details of another agency’s investigation, please know that based on the information at that time, ISU Police was able to quickly determine the threat to the ISU community had been neutralized and the community was no longer at risk,” DeLashmutt said in a statement provided to the Daily.

Under the Clery Act, Iowa State is required to notify campus “upon confirmation of a significant emergency or dangerous situation involving an immediate threat to the health or safety of students or employees occurring on campus,” DeLashmutt said.

“At the time the shooting happened, it was an imminent threat,” DeLashmutt said. “However, it was over so quickly, mere minutes, there was no time to issue an alert.

“Issuing alerts after the fact, or in situations not requiring anyone to take action, can cause confusion and apathy (people often start to disregard emails). We want to ensure that when we send emergency notification messages, they receive immediate attention from our community, and we provide them with some call to action.”

It is understandable that the authorities could not get information out at the exact moment of the shooting, but the ISD Editorial Board disagrees with the decision not to put information out in a timely warning once it was known due to the suspected shooters fleeing the scene. While police may have identified that there was no immediate threat to the community, the public did not know this.

Those who saw the event unfold — Huff estimated about a thousand people were still out based on how nice the night was and the timing being near to bar close — in addition to students and community members who are in the surrounding area were left unaware of the situation for nearly five hours. In an age where information spreads almost instantaneously over social media, and this incident not itself being immune, getting accurate information to the public in a timely manner is not only beneficial but a necessity.

The Ames Police officers who were able to shoot at the suspects’ vehicle may have saved lives by causing them to flee the scene. This work cannot be understated and we do not want to undermine the impact of their quick action.

Yet, the problem remains that the suspects fled the scene, and while police were aware that there was no ongoing threat, the public was left in the dark.