COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Students at the University of South Carolina were told to shelter in place Sunday while police investigated an unconfirmed report of an active shooter near a library on the main campus in Columbia. Officials said there was no evidence of a shooter, and there were no immediate reports of any shots being fired.
The school sent an alert of a possible shooter shortly after 6:45 p.m. ordering students to evacuate the area near the Thomas Cooper Library, seek shelter and barricade themselves if necessary. It was followed by another alert saying there was no evidence of an active shooter “at this time. Police are searching affected buildings. Please continue to shelter in place until there is an all clear.”
University spokesman Jeff Stensland said in a statement that the original alert “was sent out of an abundance of caution” and that law enforcement was clearing the library building, going floor by floor, “again out of an abundance of caution, we’re going through the library to make sure.”
Stensland said there were no injuries.
Approximately 38,000 students attend the school in the heart of the city that’s home to nearly 145,000 people.
The alerts and uncertainty about a shooter search came just days after false reports of active shooters at Villanova University and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga on Thursday led to panic and temporary lockdowns at the two campuses as they kicked off their fall semesters.
The Associated Press
