False reports of active shooters rock multiple campuses during the first day of classes
Following several incidents last week, multiple universities received false reports of active shooters on the first day of classes.
The new academic year began in chaos for thousands of students after a wave of fabricated active shooter calls spread across multiple universities on the very first day of classes.
On Monday at least six schools, the University of Arkansas, University of Colorado Boulder, Iowa State University, Kansas State University, New Hampshire University, and Northern Arizona University, were targeted with active shooter calls. Each report triggered emergency alerts and heavy police presence before being ruled a hoax.
Additional incidents were reported in recent days at the University of South Carolina, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, and Villanova University.
On Monday afternoon, the University of Arkansas notified students of reports of an active shooter, telling those on the ground to avoid the area or defend themselves if necessary. Hours later, the school announced no threat was found and canceled classes for the rest of the day.
The University of Colorado Boulder announced that it was “the latest target in a string of hoaxes” following a false report at the university. After the initial report, university police determined that there was no credible threat.
The Iowa State University Police Department released a statement noting its officers responded promptly to calls about an active shooter, but found the reports to be false.
Kansas State said the swatting attack on its campus was ”intended to be disruptive.” The University of New Hampshire and Northern Arizona University both called reports of active shooters at the institutions hoaxes.
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Swatting, where anonymous callers fabricate emergency threats to trigger a police response, has become a growing tactic against universities. Prior to Monday’s hoaxes, several schools were hit with similar false reports of active shooters.
On Sunday, the University of South Carolina was rocked by an active shooter alert that was confirmed to be false just hours later. Days earlier at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, reports of a shooter resulted in a swift response from campus police, the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Department of Safety & Homeland Security Special Agents, Tennessee Park Rangers, the FBI, and the ATF. No evidence of an active shooter was found.
Villanova University has been hit especially hard, with two hoax calls last week disrupting both orientation activities and campus housing. The incidents left students unsettled and forced police to respond with armed units.
Even as schools invest heavily in safety protocols, outside actors are exploiting those systems to create panic. As the fall semester begins, universities nationwide face this troubling reality hanging over their campuses.
