NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass. -- UMass-Dartmouth is being evacuated amid reports that a suspect wanted in connection with the Boston Marathon bombing was a student there.
Fire alarms went out around 8 a.m. at the Pine Dale Hall, a student dormitory, and students were directed to the Campus Center, according to sophomores Stephanie Bond, Brett Concannon, and Jose Feliciano.
As student watched reports of an overnight shootout in Cambridge and Watertown, Mass., and a photo of suspect Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev flashed on the screen, someone blurted: "Oh, that's my roommate."
"It spread like wildfire," said Bond, 20, of Kingston, Mass.
Tsarnaev attended the prestigious Rindge and Latin school, the Associated Press reported.
In May 2011, he was awarded a $2,500 scholarship from the City of Boston to pursue higher education, according to the AP. That scholarship was celebrated with a reception at City Hall.
At 8:44 a.m. UMass-Dartmouth sent students text and voice messages saying,"Campus closed. Go to umassd.edu for more information." At 10:01 a.m. they received the same text and voice mail: "Campus evacuation. Please leave campus calmly as soon as possible."
At 10:28, officials posted an update on the university's website:
"UMass Dartmouth is closed and is in the process of a controlled evacuation of the campus. Students, staff and faculty have been asked to leave campus in a calm and orderly fashion. This action is in response to information that the person being sought in connection with the Boston Marathon bombing is a registered student. State, local, and campus police are on campus to assist with the evacuation and to conduct a full investigation."
The latest update, posted at 11:20 a.m., reads: "Students who do not have transportation off campus should proceed immediately to Lot 1, where they will be transported to a secure location at Dartmouth High School. If students wished to be picked up at the High School, the address is 555 Bakerville Road, Dartmouth, Mass."
The Rhode Island State Fire Marshal's bomb squad is on site.
Adam Whitney, 18, of North Attleboro was leaving campus around 11:30 Friday morning with his mother, Catherine.
"I wasn't fazed when it was Boston. Now it's right here, on the doorstep, and it's a little surreal," Whitney said.
-- With reports from Journal staff writers Gregory Smith and Tom Mooney
This story was first posted at 9:37 a.m. and updated at 11:19 a.m.