The alert for a supposedly armed man on the USF Tampa campus is over. Here's our updates in chronological order:
ORIGINAL POST AT 2:45 P.M.
University of South Florida officials have put out a warning to students, faculty and staff after a man believed to be armed was seen in the USF Health section of the Tampa campus, near the Morsani College of Medicine.
At 2:12 p.m., the following message was sent out on the USF webpage and through the university's text alert system:
ALERT USF Tampa: Armed intruder near USF Health (MDC) area. Remain alert. Avoid area. Follow police instructions.
People are being advised to avoid that area and remain alert. Updates will be issued through the webpage and alert system.
UPDATE (3:38 PM): At 1:41 p.m., police received a call from someone who saw a man jump a fence in the USF Health Complex area, with what was believed to be a weapon, USF police Lt. Charlotte Domingo said. The suspect is a black male, with a dark blue shirt and khaki shorts.
Lt. Domingo said in a press conference this afternoon: "Out of an abundance of caution," a systematic search and evacuation in a number of buildings in the USF Health Complex is ongoing.
UPDATE (4:05 PM): The USF College of Nursing has re-opened for employees. Lt. Charlotte Domingo with the University Police said the 350,000 square-foot complex was then emptied out of what she called an "abundance of caution."
"Anytime somebody says they potentially see someone with a firearm, we take it very seriously, and we're in the process of doing what we need to do to determine whether or not that individual's there, and the best way we can do that is to systematically go through the building, search it and evacuate those areas so we don't have people moving back and forth."
Lt. Domingo says the search is continuing.
UPDATE (4:58 PM): According to the USF webpage, "Law enforcement sweep of the area is complete and the area has been cleared. No armed subjects were found. Continue to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to police."
UPDATE (6:30 PM): USF Police say the investigation is still in progress. Anyone with knowledge of the incident is asked to contact the USF Police Department at (813)974-2628.
