Crime in the Fort Sanders Area has students fearing for their safety. The security most students who lived in the area had has changed drastically in the past year. The most recent scare was a robbery that could have ended deadly on January 24th. A student was shot on the 1200 Block of Laurel after refusing to give a man money.

The student was approached by a suspect demanding Monday around 9:45 in the evening. When the student refused to give the suspect money a fight broke out and resulted in the student shot in the left arm. However, the injuries were not deadly. The student was treated at UT Medical Center for his injuries and released.

Although the Fort Sanders area has the jurisdiction of the Knoxville Police Department there are many safety tips UT Police give to students. One important way UTPD communicated the problem to students after the shooting is the UT Alert Text messaging. Although this did cause some panic with students it was helpful to those who live in the area to be aware of what was going on at the time.  Other helpful ways residents can insure their safety is using the “T”, and simply calling the police for help if you feel unsafe.

Some students feel they need to take their own form of protection. UT Senior Chad said, “My family owns a security store and they sent mace and other forms of protection for me to give to my girlfriends.” At this time most students are weary since the suspect is still on the loose.