St. Mary’s University on lockdown after “concerning threat”

(KWNO)-Saint Mary’s University received an email threatening violence against staff members, prompting a lockdown of the Winona campus early Friday morning. According to a statement from SMU, all morning classes were cancelled and “all residential students” are being asked to “remain in their residence halls.” Campus offices were also closed and employees encouraged to work remotely. 

The Winona Police Department received a call from SMU around 5:00 a.m. Friday morning about the threat. A WPD spokesperson said the message was a “long rant” that was hard to decipher but did threaten at least one SMU faculty member by name. The spokesperson also said part of the message seemed to indicate the sender might be upset about their child being rejected from SMU. Investigators are still trying to determine if the threat is credible.