A student was placed on interim suspension on Friday, May 3, and could face criminal charges for allegedly storing an assault rifle and ammunition at a UC Riverside campus dorm, along with a journal depicting a graphic image, officials said.
A single, unused rifle cartridge was found in a common area at the on-campus North District apartments, UCR spokesman John Warren said on Monday.
“From there, staff and police worked to identify its source,” Warren said.
That prompted campus police to serve a search warrant in one of the North District apartments.
An assault rifle registered to the student, five high-capacity magazines and ammunition were found in the apartment, officials said. A journal was also found containing a hand-drawn image “depicting a violent act,” officials said.
“The image appears to have been drawn in fall 2023, and so is not related to the pro-Palestinian encampment at UCR this past week,” Warren said. “The image shows a character-like figure and a firearm being discharged.”
was set up at UC Riverside by students in response to the war in Gaza on April 29 but was to be dismantled under an agreement with school officials.
The student was ordered to leave campus and to not return for allegedly violating several university policies.
The student’s identity was not released, per campus privacy policies.
Campus police will submit the case to the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office, which will determine whether criminal charges will be pursued.
