A report of an active shooter on campus tonight was found to be unsubstantiated, according to university police.
UPD sent out a “Campus All Clear” message around 10:30 p.m. via the Campus Alert System.
At this time, the source of the rumor is unknown. The Collegian reached out to UPD but it refused to comment at this time. Collegian will follow up tomorrow morning.
Update: 9:15 a.m. Thursday, March 22
University officials have not been available yet for further information or comment this morning.
Update: 11:30 a.m. Thursday, March 22
University Police Chief Tim Heaton commented this morning on the active shooter rumor that swept through campus last night.
Heaton explained that an off-campus individual was in conversation at their place of work and told another person they thought they had heard gunshots. Another individual overheard the conversation and called a friend in a residence hall on campus.
From there, the rumor spread like wild fire.
According to Heaton, the call to UPD originated from Ben Reifel. UPD responded immediately, checking Ben Reifel to find everything calm and routine. They also checked the rest of the residence halls to ensure safety.
UPD and the city backtracked with the individuals who made the call and verified what the person said was unsubstantiated, Heaton said.
Because there was no threat, UPD issued the all clear message via the Campus Alert System.
Mike Lockrem, director of University Marketing and Communications, said UPD chose to utilize the Campus Alert System because it was later in the night and felt it was the best method to reach all students, faculty and staff.
With this system, all parties are automatically set up to receive email alerts when employed/enrolled at SDSU. However, individuals can receive phone and text alerts if they provide their information to the Everbridge system.
You can visit the emergency management page from SDState here for resources and information on emergency situations on campus. To update your Everbridge preferences to change the way to receive alerts, go here.
