Harvard Square is adjacent to one of America's most prominent universities, with the city of Cambridge describing it as offering a "unique" atmosphere.

However, that atmosphere was shattered this past weekend when gunshots necessitated a lockdown as police swarmed. 

Police believe shooting was a "targeted" attack

According to the Daily Mail, students at Harvard University were told to shelter in place on Sunday afternoon after an individual opened fire.

Transit Police Superintendent Richard Sullivan explained that the incident took place at around 2:00 p.m. and appeared to be a "targeted" strike in which between four and five rounds were discharged.

"This is an active investigation where we are determining the facts and circumstances surrounding the incident," the Daily Mail quoted Sullivan as saying.

"That being said, preliminarily our investigation suggests the following: a male, while on the southbound platform, apparently armed with a firearm appears to fire approximately 4 to 5 rounds at a targeted individual," he explained before adding no one had been injured.

Tourist describes running from gunfire

Tourist Marc Bauer was present during the shooting, and he spoke with NBC 10 Boston about hearing "like five or six loud, what sounded like some firearm being discharged downstairs."

BREAKING UPDATE: MBTA Transit Police have released photos of a person of interest in Sunday's incident where shots were fired at the Harvard Square T station. https://t.co/czGNBjzTvd

— NBC10 Boston (@NBC10Boston) April 21, 2025

"We as a group were confused about what was going on, so we rushed back on the subway again and got out of there as quick as we could," Bauer recalled.

"We just heard the shots, saw a lot of people scrambling, not knowing where to go. It was down the platform away from us a bit," he noted.

Harvard University students told to "enter the nearest building"

"We didn't want to find ourselves in a bad situation, so we got back on the subway, the doors shut quickly and we felt safe," Bauer continued.

He said that the gunshot sounded "almost like fireworks going off," adding, "We didn't know what was going on, but we saw a lot of people scrambling. We knew something was happening that wasn't good."

Bauer concluded by saying. "It's a little scary. We had our entire family down there... As a parent, you just want to make sure your family is safe."

Meanwhile, the Daily Mail reported that students at Harvard University were sent an alert which read, "Please enter the nearest building and stay there until the all clear is given."