UPDATE: 10:57pm – Lock down lifted. All Clear.
Ninety minutes of panic for many at the University of Virginia Wise campus, with reports of a gunman on campus.
The university’s website posted a warning at 9:28 p.m.: “The college is currently in a lockdown due to an alleged gunman on campus. Find a safe place and stay put! Lock all doors until further notice!”
An alert was also sent out, according to CBS affiliate WJHL.
At 10:08 p.m. the university posted another update; “Lock down continues. Alleged gunman on campus. Stay put, lock all door until further notice!”
Then at 10:57 p.m. the university lifted the lockdown.
Corinne Geller, with the Virginia State, said that a student called 911 to report he had seen a man on campus armed with a gun.
UVA-Wise Police, Town of Wise Police, Wise County Sheriff’s Office, Town of Pound Police, and Virginia State Police immediately responded to the campus to begin a building-by-building search.
As the searches were being conducted, special agents with the Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation’s Wytheville Field Office were interviewing the student who made the report.
During the course of the interview, the student confessed that it was a hoax, said police.
An investigation into the incident remains ongoing at this time.
Below are tweets from students who were on campus.
Been on lockdown for over an hour with a gun man on campus and cops everywhere with automatic weapons and every room lights out! Plz pray!
— steve klaiber (@steveklaiber25) January 24, 2013
Gunmen at UVA Wise… SMH people! Rumor it might be gang related.
— Brandon Bennett (@pigskinnut4vols) January 24, 2013
ALERT: from #UVAWise: “Lockdown continued.Alleged gunman on campus.Stay put!Lock all doors until further notice!”
ALERT: from #UVAWise: “Lockdown continued.Alleged gunman on campus.Stay put!Lock all doors until further notice!”
— Highland Cavalier (@HighlandCav) January 24, 2013
