False reports Saturday afternoon of an individual with a gun on the University of South Florida Tampa campus lead to an evacuation of the school's library.
Authorities later reported there was no threat to campus, with law enforcement referring to it as a "swatting call" — the latest in a series of fake school shootings reported nationwide.
University Police officials say a call came in shortly before 5 p.m. Saturday that there was an active shooter on the campus.
Multiple social media posts also reported a person with a gun had barricaded themselves in the library.
As a result, dozens of law enforcement officers from University Police, the Tampa Police Department and the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office responded.
Photos and videos taken by students showed officers, some carrying rifles, rushing into the library.
"I saw two cops come by, and they look like they were clearing the area," said junior Benjamin Shereff, who was in the library at the time. "They asked, 'did anybody hear any gunshots?' and I didn't hear anything."
"Some people were really calm, some people were a little more nervous," he added. "If you're from Florida, you've probably been through at least one school shooting scare at some point in your life, but I'd say that this was one of the more real ones that we've been through."
Nabin Khadka, a senior electrical engineering student from Nepal, was working in a Starbucks located on the first floor of the library when employees were told to leave around 4:45 p.m.
"I'm an international student, so I never encountered (this) in my country. It was my first experience (like this), and so the other employees were scared like me, even the managers, they were crying," he said.
The ALERTUSF system, which normally notifies students, faculty, and staff about emergencies on and around the school's three campuses, was not used until shortly after 6:20 p.m. when an all-clear alert was issued:
"ALERTUSF: Tampa: There was a report of an individual on Tampa campus with a firearm. Police have investigated and there is no threat to campus."
Hillsborough County Sheriff's officials later told WUSF the incident was determined to be a swatting call. That's when someone calls law enforcement, sometimes using caller ID spoofing to disguise their number, with a false report to bring authorities to a site.
Over the past few weeks, at least a dozen college campuses nationwide have been hit by hoax shooting calls.
WIRED reports an online group called Purgatory claimed responsibility for the calls, while the FBI told The Washington Post that it’s investigating the calls.
This is a developing story. Stay with WUSF for updates.
