Fears of an “active shooter” led to a FAMU “shelter in place” alert and drew a “massive” police response before officials determined that noise from a nearby robotics competition was mistaken for gunfire.
At about 1:30 p.m., a half hour after the campus wide FAMU alert was issued on April 16, the university issued another notice: “Update on Police Activity, Bragg Stadium, FAMU Villages, Gaither Gymnasium Complex, Gaither Office & Classroom, Rattler Pointe A:
“All clear. Please return to normal operations.”
About an hour earlier, a call came in about an individual with a firearm near Lake Bradford Road and FAMU Way. No one was ever found matching the description though police note that the open carry of firearms is no longer illegal in Florida.
The alert comes as the community is on edge one day before the 1-year mark of the mass shooting at Florida State University, in which two were killed and five students were injured.
Here’s the latest.
FAMU Police Department says alert issued after ‘a series swatting calls’
At about 2:30 p.m., the FAMU Police Department put out a statement on social media.
“Today, the FAMU Police Department responded to a report of a person of interest approaching campus by foot, followed by a series of swatting calls referencing various areas of campus,” the police department wrote. “A partial lockdown was issued by FAMU alert asking the campus community to shelter in place on west campus. Each report was investigated, and local public safety partners assisted with the response efforts.”
Swatting is a dangerous, illegal prank involving reporting a fake, serious emergency—like a bomb threat or active shooter—to 911 to trick law enforcement into dispatching armed SWAT teams to a victim’s address.
“After thorough review and coordination with local, state, and federal law enforcement, there is no reason to believe these calls represented a legitimate threat. An all clear was issued and the campus is operating as normal,” FAMU PD continued. “Out of an abundance of caution, you may notice an increased law enforcement presence on campus today as standard safety protocols are followed.”
“The safety and well-being of our campus community is our utmost priority. If you observe any suspicious activity on campus, please contact the FAMU Police Department at 850-599-3256 or 911. If you SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING.”
A TPD spokesperson had no additional information but said there was at least one swatting call earlier in the day.
TPD: Noise from robotics competition led to fears of ‘active shooter’
Lt. Damon Miller, a watch commander at the Tallahassee Police Department, said they received a call about an active shooter – but there was no active shooter.
There was, however, a robot competition going on and people confused the sounds of the robots for gunshots, he told the FSView/Florida Flambeau.
Online listings show the “FIRST Robotics Competition Tallahassee Regional” was scheduled for April 15–18, at the Alfred Lawson, Jr. Multipurpose Center, on the FAMU campus on Althea Gibson Way.
At the same time that FAMU was issuing the all clear, TPD took to social media and posted: “Multiple law enforcement agencies responding to reports of a possible incident on FAMU campus.”
TPD spokesperson says massive response ‘a stark reminder of the heightened awareness of our community’
Alicia Hill, a TPD spokesperson, confirmed the watch commander’s assessment and spoke about the police response.
“I wasn’t on the ground, but I know it was massive,” she told the Democrat. “We have to respond. That’s what this service entails. That’s what this reality is. We have to respond when the call goes out. Until we know for a fact what happened….
“I think it is just a stark reminder of the heightened awareness of our community, not just because of how the next couple of days feel like, but thinking back to where we were a year ago, to what you see nationally. Most people would err on the side of caution.”
‘Active shooter’ call puts K-12 schools on lockdown
Chris Petley, the Leon County Schools spokesperson, said Nims Middle and Pineview Elementary schools followed closed campus protocols during the incident, meaning staff and students were prevented from entering or leaving campus.
Also, Bond Elementary was placed on lockout, meaning classrooms and school gates are locked but students can move freely along campus. Security measures were lifted from all three schools at 1:25 p.m.
Florida State University issues statement: FAMU police response activated ‘lockdown buttons’
Florida State University issued a statement that “police and administrators are aware of the campus alert and all clear issued by Florida A&M University.”
“FAMU has resumed normal operations. Administrators are also aware that lockdown buttons were activated on FSU’s campus by individuals in response to the FAMU alert message.”
“There is no threat to the FSU campus and operations remain normal at this time. Please visit http://alerts.fsu.edu for real-time updates whenever the operational status of Florida State University may be in question. Information and resources for students, faculty and staff are available at http://response.fsu.edu.
Shelter in place warning issued by FAMU
Florida A&M University has issued a “shelter in place” warning as police activity is ongoing near FAMU Villages and Bragg Stadium.
“Please avoid area as a law enforcement presence is in the area,” the university wrote on social media and through its campus wide safety alert at 1 p.m. “Shelter in place.”
The city’s online crime map does not correlate perfectly but shows a call for an “open carry of weapon” in the area of Lake Bradford Road and FAMU Way at 12:11 p.m.
A TPD spokesperson said the agency had no additional information and a watch commander is on the scene. She said she had no indications shots were fired. There were no other details immediately available.
The last time a FAMU Alert was issued was two weeks ago
The last time FAMU put out a “shelter in place alert” was two weeks ago when four people were injured in a mass shooting near the campus.
Shots were fired at a house party near the Bond Community that injured a woman and three men. Police said their preliminary investigation indicated there were multiple shooters, as previously reported.
This is a developing story. Check back for details.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FAMU: ‘All clear’ after shooting scare; robots mistaken for gunfire
Reporting by William L. Hatfield, Jim Rosica, Elena Barrera, Tarah Jean, Justice Ulrich and Alaijah Cross, Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
