November 22, 2024

Shooter scare at University of Oklahoma may have been prompted by ‘bogus’ call, police say

University of Oklahoma #UniversityofOklahoma

Police descended on the University of Oklahoma on Friday night after a report of an active shooter and later found no sign of a shooting and no injuries, officials said.

“At this point, we’ll probably say that it was a bogus call,” University of Oklahoma Police Chief Nate Tarver told reporters.

Around 9:24 p.m, a call came in that reported shots fired at the library on campus at the university in Norman, near Oklahoma City, Tarver said. The university then sent an emergency alert.

“There is an active shooter at the Van Vleet Oval. Take immediate action now. Run. Hide. Fight!” the university, which has an enrollment of around 26,600 at its Norman campus, said in a tweet.

Nearly 90 minutes after the first alert, the university tweeted no threat had been found and gave an all-clear.

April Sandefer, director of media relations at the university, said it was unknown if it was a hoax or if someone heard a sound that caused the report of gunshots.

Police plan to examine campus video footage to see if that shows more about what occurred, Sandefer said.

Tarver said there was some confetti found, like from a party popper, but police couldn’t confirm if that prompted the call.

Video from the scene from NBC affiliate KFOR of Oklahoma City showed a large police presence and ambulances.

Helicopter news footage shown on live coverage by CBS station KWTV of Oklahoma City showed what appeared to be a massive police response.

Over 100 police officers and other first responders from several departments responded to the university.

The scare at the university, known as OU, comes almost two weeks after a shooter attacked a Nashville, Tennessee, school and killed three children and three adults, and almost two months after a gunman killed three students at Michigan State University.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com

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