[Ed. note: This has been updated with more information since press, as UNCW cleared the campus and issued a statement late Thursday evening, as well as a video on Friday morning.]
WILMINGTON — University of North Carolina Wilmington police investigated anonymous reports of a subject with a gun on campus, prompting a shelter-in-place order on Thursday evening. By 10:30 p.m., the university announced it was a false alarm.
READ MORE: UNCW investigating threats, including ‘militia’ presence, after Charlie Kirk vigil sparks turbulence
The first notice issued by UNCW was shared with students at 7:20 p.m. reading:
“UNCW ALERT! University Police have received unconfirmed anonymous reports via social media regarding a subject with a gun on campus. UPD is taking these claims seriously and is investigating. Shelter in place at this time.”
A second alert was sent out by the university at approximately 8:10 p.m. reading:
“UNCW Alert! Continue to shelter in place. Law enforcement sweeping campus. Will update when more information available.”
As of 9 p.m., the campus remained on lockdown and all students were asked to stay indoors. Law enforcement swept the campus, with all exits and entrances blocked.
At 10:23 p.m. the lockdown lifted and UNCW issued: “All clear! False alarm. No active attacker on campus. More information about class cancellations, operations to come soon.”
According to a chancellor’s message released just before midnight, law enforcement — local, state and federal — collaborated “swiftly” to verify there was no danger. The chancellor indicated misinformation was circulating social media about the event, but the facts remained: an armed attacker was not on campus.
A video of a young man carrying a rifle in what looked like a parking garage was being shared online, as well as images of law enforcement circling a suspect and rumors of arrests made. None have been verified by press.
“We intend to thoroughly review each of these sources and provide more details in the coming days,” Chancellor Aswani K. Volety wrote
However, Friday classes have been cancelled “out of an abundance of caution” and to ensure the safety of students. Those who signed up for fully online courses should contact professors about their courses.
The UNCW Library will be closed Friday, though the campus recreation center, campus dining services, and campus shuttle services are operational and may have reduced hours.
As well, mandatory employees and employees temporarily assigned as mandatory must report to work or remain at work as directed. All other employees have the option to report late, leave early, or not at all and inform their supervisors or work remotely with approval.
“We are saddened the UNCW community had to experience this, and we want to thank those who were on campus for your cooperation and patience,” Volety wrote. “We are also grateful for our university police department and the agencies that assisted us.”
The events unfolded Thursday evening after a week of controversy at the university following the vigil for right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk, who was slain on a Utah campus last week. After Monday’s event, a spirit rock on campus, detailed with the American flag and Kirk’s image, was painted over and a dispute among students took place.
Then a threat was called onto campus in the early morning hours of Thursday, leading to the evacuation of Discovery Hall and Randall Library, but both were cleared.
On Sept. 16, a post from Right Angle News Network on X detailed the spirit rock debacle. An account going by BrendanJones04 replied: “Our nc group militia will be there Friday at uncw. There are 13-15 students, 3 professors and 3 admin that have posted hateful rhetoric. We have their schedules and locations. We will take care of the problem.”
UNCW notified media they were “actively” monitoring the situation a few hours before Thursday’s lockdown occurred.
At 8:30 a.m. on Friday, Volety released a video stating “the sanctity of the campus home was violated.” He detailed he was at Burney Center with roughly 30 other faculty, as hundreds of officers — including New Hanover and Brunswick county sheriff’s offices and Wilmington Police Department — responded to the incident immediately.
“It was an intense and stressful three hours,” he said, noting they would continue to help law enforcement and ensure the campus is protected. “While yesterday was a challenging day for all of us, I want you to be assured that your safety and well-being are paramount to me and our community-at-large.”
Investigations will continue into what prompted the chain of events, he added.
Watch the full video here.
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