University of the Incarnate Word, located in San Antonio, Texas, was on high alert last night after a sighting of a gunman was reported to authorities.
UIW Police Chief Robert Chavez said the department received two calls last night about a person dressed in black and carrying a gun on campus around 5:39 p.m. For two hours the school was on high alert, while campus police and other local police departments, as well as an SAPD helicopter, searched school grounds and the surrounding area for the possible gunman.
“We took every precaution calling SAPD, DPS and nearby agencies … using spotters and (officers) who went through the campus,” Chavez said.
Just before 7 p.m. school authorities sent students and faculty an emergency text saying, “Suspected armed individual reported on campus near Joeris. Take caution.”
Roughly thirty minutes later an additional message was sent stating, “Authorities have searched campus and surrounding area. No suspect has been found to support report. Campus not on lockdown.”
According to My San Antonio,
Chavez said the photo of a man with a gun that was circulating on social media and depicted as the possible gunman was actually a spotter looking for the suspect. He added that the university of about 10,000 students was never on lockdown because no one in law enforcement could confirm a shooter’s presence. However students and a message from the Alamo Heights Police Department referred to it as a lockdown.
Better to be safe than sorry, we suppose, especially since later that night more reports were made.
Police returned after a member of the cleaning crew reportedly saw a man pulling on a door. A lockdown was reported on their Twitter shortly after.
UIW campus on lockdown. UIW police have received another report of a possible armed individual.
— UIW (@uiwcardinals) October 28, 2015
Surrounding agencies are responding in search. Report info to (210) 829-6030.
— UIW (@uiwcardinals) October 28, 2015
After watching surveillance footage, police found that the man spotted by the cleaning crew was a campus police officer doing a security check by pulling the door’s handle. Thankfully everyone is safe, but the students had one hell of a night last night. We hope it doesn’t continue on today.
The threat comes on the heels of yesterday’s anonymous online threat against Ohio State University.
