Armed Robbery on UW-Oshkosh Campus

UW-Oshkosh Police are reporting an armed
robbery at the school’s union this (Wednesday) morning. Around 8:40am, two male suspects
with firearms fled the scene. Officers were immediately dispatched to that area
of the campus. Reports say they robbed a person near an entrance to Reeve
Union, where an ATM is located in the vestibule. 

Police say it was an isolated incident where the suspects targeted a Thillens ATM courier who was heading to work on the machine at the time. The men approached the courier outside of the building. No money was taken, but the suspects were able to get away with the guard’s gun. 

The suspects took off in a vehicle traveling away from campus. 

Police believe it is part of a pattern, with this being the third robbery of a Thillens courier since September. The other incidents occurred in the Madison area. 

One suspect is described as a thin,
short black man in his 20’s wearing dark jeans and a dark hoodie with Adidas shoes that had
a red symbol and red bottoms. The other was a white man in his 20’s wearing a black
sweatshirt and brown ski mask. Both men were armed – and it’s possible that
three firearms were involved. 

They fled the scene in a tan-colored four-door car – driving away from campus. 

No lockdown was issued for students, and police say there is no threat to people at UW-Oshkosh. Police Chief Kurt Liebold says it’s nearly impossible to “lock down” a campus that size, and they can only issue a “shelter in place” warning. Liebold adds that they did not feel the necessity to issue a shelter in place warning to students and staff, as the incident happened quickly – and according to surveillance and witness reports, the suspects fled the campus immediately. 

The nearby Fox Valley Technical College Riverside Campus in Oshkosh was briefly placed on lockdown.