Members of the University of Nevada, Reno campus community are voicing frustration and anger toward campus officials following a vague email sent last Friday, July 12, to medical school students and faculty. The email, which was then forwarded to all UNR students and employees by President Brian Sandoval, said, “former UNR medical student Matthew Peirce Mahaffey represents a significant risk of substantial harm to the health and safety of others.”
Medical school Dean Paul Hauptman sent the original email, stating that an independent medical professional shared the safety concern. The email did not provide further details about the type of risk Mahaffey might pose.
“If you see him on any University property or at any function, please call 911. There will be an increased police presence around UNR Med locations,” Hauptman wrote.
An anonymous commenter on Reddit said there was a police presence with helicopters on campus Friday and “we were told to leave unofficially.” Another person said they’d worked on campus for nearly 25 years and had never before seen an announcement like it.
Brian Jorgensen, a former postdoctoral fellow and researcher at UNR, said that by Friday evening, he hadn’t seen any public information on the threat but felt those who work on campus should know more details for their own safety.
Others said that the email lacked transparency, especially given that the threat was serious enough to include Mahaffey’s photo and gave directions to dial 911 if he was seen on campus.
David Sweete on Facebook said it seemed like UNR officials were hiding something.
“The public deserves to have the details about why he is such a huge concern and risk to the safety of others,” Sweete said.
Some people commenting on social media said they were parents of current or soon-to-be students at the university and were concerned about campus safety.
In the absence of details, some students took to the internet to share details, many of which are unconfirmed. One anonymous commenter said Mahaffey was admitted to the medical school in August 2023 as a first-year medical student and within a few months many students had learned of his past and allegedly expressed concerns to school administration. They said that by December 2023 “he became mentally unstable” and in January was absent from classes, allegedly officially dismissed from the school in recent weeks.
What is known about Mahaffey is based on news reports from 2011-2013 when he was arrested and pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter after he shot and killed his friend Michael Boyle in the Freight House District in downtown Reno. Mahaffey, who is an Iraq war veteran and was 24 at the time of the July 3, 2011 shooting, said he was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. He served three months in jail while on summer break from his undergraduate studies.
This Is Reno reached out to UNR officials to learn more about the potential threat Mahaffey poses and why the message shared with students and employees was lacking specifics.
UNR spokesperson Jessica Lozada reiterated the same details as had been previously shared, stating that the “University (which includes UNR Med) business operations are occurring with adjustments made as necessary. The university is taking extra security precautions and will not publicly be sharing the details of these plans.”
She added that UNR medical students and employees, and leadership across the rest of the campus, have been given additional instructions. She did not indicate what those entailed.
Correction: A previous version of this story identified Brian Jorgensen as a graduate student at UNR. He was a postdoctoral fellow at UNR.
