image description — The Williams College campus was locked down for a little more than hour midday on Sunday.

Updated December 22, 2024 04:22PM

Williamstown Police Looking for Suspects After Cole Avenue Shooting

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires.com
11:58AM / Sunday, December 22, 2024Print Story | Email Story

UPDATE: A notification from the town has indicated that the general public is not in danger. Williams College Sunday afternoon ended its lockdown. Single victim was taken away from the scene by ambulance.

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — One person was shot with a firearm at 330 Cole Ave. on Sunday morning, triggering an hour-long lockdown of Williams College and a manhunt for an armed suspect.

A reverse 911 call from the town at 12:39 Sunday afternoon indicated that Williamstown Police and the Massachusetts State Police are investigating the incident.

"At this time, based on evidence seen, this appears to be a specific, targeted incident," the reverse 911 call indicated. "The general public not in danger at this time. This [call] is for public awareness only."

The robocall indicates that the shooting took place at 10:15 a.m.

Williams announced the lockdown in an 11:38 text (and shortly after an email) to the college community. The college sent a text to its community at 12:55 p.m. saying it was ending the lockdown.

Williamstown Police on Sunday afternoon confirmed the lone victim in the shooting was alive when transported to Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield.

The Berkshire District Attorney's office Sunday at about 4 p.m. issued a news release saying the victim is "expected to survive."

According to the morning email sent to the college community, police were investigating the incident and "Suspects are at large, armed and considered dangerous."

The email alert said to remain indoors and not admit anyone into college buildings without identification.

"If off campus, stay away," read the email, signed by college's director of campus safety and director of emergency management.

The college said its Campus Security Service is working with the the Williamstown Police Department. The email indicated that updates will be posted on williams.edu or the college's Twitter account.

Williams College's final exams for the fall semester ended on Monday, Dec. 16. The winter break for faculty and staff began on Friday, Dec. 20. The only college building scheduled to be open to the public on Sunday, the Williams College Museum of Art, shut down for the day after the campus lockdown was ordered.

Tags: shooting,

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Williamstown Housing Trust Agrees to Continue Emergency Mortgage, Rental Programs

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
04:14AM / Tuesday, December 30, 2025

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The board of the town's Affordable Housing Trust at its December meeting voted to extend its mortgage and rental assistance programs and discussed bringing in some consultants early next year before embarking on any new programs.

Chair Daniel Gura informed the board that its agreements with Pittsfield's Hearthway Inc., to administer the Williamstown Emergency Rental Assistance Program and Williamstown Emergency Mortgage Assistance Program was expiring at the end of the year.

Gura sought and obtained a vote of the board to extend the programs, born during the COVID-19 pandemic, through the end of January 2026, at which time the board plans to sign a new long-term agreement.

"In 2024, we distributed $80,000," through the programs known as WERAP and WEMAP, Gura said. "This year, to date, we gave $16,000, and Ihere's $17,000 left. … It's a little interesting we saw a dropoff from 2024 to 2025, although I think there were obvious reasons for that in terms of where we are in the world."

Gura suggested that the board might want to increase the funding to the programs, which benefit income-qualified town residents.

"If you look at the broader economic picture in this country, there's a prospect of more people needing help, not fewer people," Thomas Sheldon said in agreeing with Gura. "I think the need will bump up again."

The board voted to add an additional $13,000 to the amount available to applicants screened by Hearthway with the possibility of raising that funding if a spike in demand is seen.

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