GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA — There were reports of shots fired near the Smathers Library on Monday night, so the University of Florida’s campus was put on high alert. The university’s official alert system told students and staff about suspected gunfire and told people in the area to “secure in place” and others to stay away from the area while police responded.
But a second alert from the institution revealed that the first claim was a fraud. The update said, “Police confirmed that no shots were fired at Smathers Library.” The event was in line with a recent trend of “swatting” calls aimed at college campuses all throughout the US.
Swatting is a form of criminal harassment that tricks emergency services into sending a lot of armed police officers to a certain address. In the past few weeks, a number of colleges and universities around the country have received identical fake calls. These calls have caused worry and dread among students and faculty and taken away important public safety resources.
Gainesville is where the main campus of the University of Florida is. After the “all clear” notification, everything on campus could go back to normal. Authorities are looking into where the fraudulent report came from.