NORMAN, Okla. – Officials at OU say they believe a shots fired call that went out to students across the University of Oklahoma campus was a false alarm.
Gould Hall has been cleared for occupancy. Classes in Gould Hall are resuming. All other univ operations &classes will continue as normal.
— Univ. of Oklahoma (@UofOklahoma) January 22, 2014
Norman police were called to the OU campus around 11:15 a.m. on Wednesday after several people reported hearing gunshots coming from Gould Hall.
Norman police and OU police began locking down the campus.
Students received a text message saying, “OU Emergency: Shooting on campus. Avoid Gould Hall. Seek immediate shelter in place.”
Shooting on campus. Avoid Gould Hall. Seek immediate shelter in place.
— Univ. of Oklahoma (@UofOklahoma) January 22, 2014
Several students tweeted about the possible shooting, saying they were locked in their classrooms and watching live coverage of the events just outside their door.
https://twitter.com/sarahjhurd/status/426048240035700736
OU alert says shooting on campus in Gould Hall, which is right next to Gaylord (where I am).
— Hillary McLain (@HillaryMcLain) January 22, 2014
Norman police officers at the scene say SWAT teams were activated and the building has been cleared.
Still SWAT members on campus but the sound of the shooting might have just been a machine backfire. pic.twitter.com/B5DL9l7X0P
— Arianna Pickard (@ari_pickard) January 22, 2014
However, they thought there may have been one person still “outstanding” on the third floor of Gould Hall.
OU officials told students to stay away from windows and to stay put until the investigation was complete.
Gould Hall is located on the South Oval and houses the College of Architecture.
Shortly after 12 p.m., Catherine Bishop, with the University of Oklahoma, said in a statement Wednesday, “As of this time, no evidence has been found of any shots being fired. There are no injuries reported at this time. Both the Norman and OU Police Department have very quickly responded as well as emergency personnel. President Boren is at the scene. Norman campus operations have resumed except for Gould Hall where additional checking is continuing.”
President Boren is telling students at Gaylord College they believe the shots fired call was a result of a piece of equipment backfiring.
Pres Boren tells students in @gaylordcollege that they believe it is false alarm & releasing students. pic.twitter.com/Cc00DCvNTs
— Gaylord College (@GaylordCollege) January 22, 2014
Boren told students on the South Oval that the incident may have been a machinery backfire.
— OU Daily (@OUDaily) January 22, 2014
Students can be seen walking out of Gaylord Hall.
Students Gaylord College are reporting Boren came into the auditorium and announced the shooting could be a false alarm.
— OU Daily (@OUDaily) January 22, 2014
Officials say students are resuming normal activities, except for those at Gould Hall.
However, we are getting word that Norman police are close to wrapping up the investigation.
At this time, there were no reports of injuries and no one was taken into custody.
During a press conference, Boren said that a faculty member reported hearing three shots and immediately called police.
He praised the staff for acting quickly, which allowed emergency personnel and other students to be aware of a potential issue also instantly.
“The greatest protection we could have is one, a quick alert, ” said Boren.
He added that officials had sent the text message warning twice to make sure as many people would receive it as possible.
He said, “We live in a time where we can’t always think everything is a false alarm.”