An active shooter alert that was issued at Villanova University on Thursday, Aug. 21 was revealed to be an “cruel hoax,” according to officials from the school.
About 4:30 p.m. At around 4:30 p.m., the campus community was notified that there was: “ACTIVE SHOOTER on the Villanova University campus. Transfer to a secure area. Lock/barricade doors. More details to come.”
It was discovered as a hoax, according to authorities.
The investigation continues on Friday after an fake news report about shootings in the area caused a massive panic among parents and students attending the orientation programs in Villanova University.
Delaware County’s Department of Emergency Services received an emergency call on Thursday about 4:33 p.m. informing them that the man was armed with an AR-15-style gun fired shots at Villanova University campus on 800 Lancaster Avenue in, Pennsylvania.
Officials reported hearing “gunshot-like sounds” in the background during the phone call.
Just a minute after that, at 4:34 p.m., Villanova University issued an active shooter alarm informing students to relocate to a safe place. Social media posts show parents, students, and other staff members running for security, with some securing themselves in classrooms, closets, and even nearby homes.
Officials also received a call reporting the shooting wound was around 5:06 p.m.
The same time there was a lockdown on the campus, as officers from almost all law enforcement agencies within the region along with the 18 EMS units, rushed at the campus. Officials also set up the Emergency Operations Center.
The shelter-in place order was lifted and lifted in the 6th minute of p.m. at local time following an investigation that determined that the report was not authentic.
“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,” Villanova University President Rev. Peter Donohue wrote in a letter addressed to all members of the Villanova residents. “While that is a blessing and relief, I know today’s events have shaken our entire community.”
Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer later praised the police response.
“We have some of the best law enforcement agencies in Pennsylvania, in this region,” Stollsteimer stated. “I’m extremely satisfied with the work they carry out. They made sure that the campus was secure. It’s now the most secure location within Delaware County tonight and we’re going to ensure the security of Villanova University stays secure.”
While the threat of shooting was not true, authorities are still investigating and trying to identify the person who made the false call.
“While the call — and additional calls related to the incident — may have been attempts to trigger a large-scale police response in a so-called ‘swatting’ attempt, it is important to note that this is an ongoing investigation,” the Delaware County spokesperson wrote. “Law enforcement and EMS officers performed their duties swiftly and without regard to the risk of personal safety, and without knowing that there was not shooting going on. The effort and resources of the department were put into the operation.”
Students’ parents react
The active shooter alert sparked massive panic among the dozens of freshmen and their families taking part in a campus-wide mass in the course of orientation activities on Thursday.
“We started to get up. We joined the crowd and we were walking on a few of these folding chairs. The chairs started to fall down. People began falling off chairs,” Joe Schmidt, one of the parents of the Villanova student said to NBC10.
Families and students were sheltered in the buildings for more than two hours, before police let them go to see their family members.
“They saw the president being whisked off the stage and the next thing they knew, everybody was just stampeding towards them,” another parent claimed.
Following the lifting of the shelter-in-place and the school was able to hold an event to bless students.
“I’m shaking,” Schmidt stated. “Never would I have imagined it. I’m at a church on a gorgeous day. We had a wonderful experience there, but it quickly was something of a nightmare.”
School officials canceled all night activities on campus on Thursday night. The orientation for freshmen began Friday morning. Police were also seen on the campus of Villanova and surrounding streets.
The argument against “swatting”
The incident was the second of two threats without a basis on the campus of a university on Thursday. A campus at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga was alerted of an active shooter being suspected on campus. Officials later confirmed that the report was untrue.
Swatting — a method that involves callers sending fake emergency reports to emergency dispatchers is a crime in Pennsylvania. State law prohibits fake reports of emergencies, fires or other incidents in relation to property or life. Swatting is currently an infraction for Pennsylvania except if the fake report is submitted in the midst of a crisis. If that’s the scenario, it’s a lower-level crime.
Then, in June of this year, a measure to extend the swatting law currently in force was introduced before the Senate. This bill would extend protection to more emergency organizations while also addressing the ramifications of the fake report. According to the bill anyone found guilty of swatting may be able to pay for the costs related with the response.
“In the event that this was an organized, intentional, and unlawful attempt to expend law enforcement resources, County officials are hopeful that the person or persons behind the incident will be identified, apprehended, and brought to justice as soon as possible,” the Delaware County spokesperson wrote. “Swatting is a crime with severe criminal consequences under both federal and state law.”
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