Terrified students fled an open-air event at Villanova University in Pennsylvania and barricaded themselves inside campus buildings because of an ultimately unfounded active shooter warning on Thursday.
Police were in the process of clearing university buildings on Thursday evening when Villanova President Rev. Peter Donohue announced in a public statement the shooting was a false alarm.
“Mercifully, no one was injured, and we now know that it was a cruel hoax — there was no active shooter, no injuries, and no evidence of firearms present on campus,” Donohue wrote. “While that is a blessing and relief, I know today’s events have shaken our entire community.”
Campus officials later said an anonymous report of an active shooter in the law school had triggered the initial alarm on campus.
“The campus is all clear,” reads an update on the university website. “You no longer need to shelter in place.”
“It was an absolute stampede,” a Villanova law student named Allison told NBC Philadelphia of the scene at the university before the all-clear was given. “It was a very nervous experience.”
State police, as well as local and federal law enforcement, had responded to the reports of a shooter on campus, according to Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.
The hoax took place on the final day of the university’s law school orientation.
Students initially got an emergency alert around 4:30 p.m. local time of a shooter on campus and were told to shelter in place.
A campus notice advised the public to avoid the law school’s Scarpa Hall.
The alert went out as visitors and students were attending an outdoor Mass.
Social media video from campus showed people running in panic in an outdoor area as word spread a shooting had taken place.
GovernorShapiro vowed to prosecute those responsible for the false report of a shooting on campus.
“I've directed [the Pennsylvania State Police] to work alongside their partners and use every tool at our disposal to find the person or people who called in this fake threat and hold them accountable,” Shapiro wrote on X. “I know today was every parent's nightmare, and every student's biggest fear. I'm profoundly grateful no one was hurt, and thankful to all members of law enforcement who ran towards reports of danger to keep Pennsylvanians safe.”
