Shelter-in-place order issued at University of Colorado Boulder amid wave of hoax calls

A shelter-in-place order was issued at the University of Colorado Boulder on Monday after reports of shots fired, though police said no injuries or suspects were found. The incident comes amid a series of hoax calls at universities across the United States in recent days.

The alert was issued Monday evening after reports of shots fired near Norlin Library. In an update, University of Colorado Boulder Police said there were “no signs of injuries or a suspect at this time” and that the investigation remains ongoing.

Videos taken outside the library showed dozens of students being evacuated as a large police presence, including a heavily armored vehicle, surrounded the area.

The incident comes amid a wave of false active shooter reports at U.S. universities in recent days, including several on Monday.

Hours before the Boulder alert, the University of New Hampshire reported a false call of a shooter at its Dimond Library. Police searched the building, confirmed there was no active threat, and declared the report a hoax.

The University of Arkansas in Fayetteville also received a report of an active shooter at David W. Mullins Library on Monday. Police said there were no confirmed threats on campus, lifted the shelter protocols, and canceled classes for the rest of the day.

Later that afternoon, Kansas State University reported that its Manhattan campus was targeted in a “swatting attack.” Police said a call falsely claimed active violence at Hale Library, prompting an immediate response before officers determined there was no threat.

In South Carolina, university police said the active shooter alert issued at Thomas Cooper Library on Sunday was a swatting hoax. Two false calls mimicked gunfire, prompting a campus-wide shelter-in-place order before officers determined there was no threat.

Also on Sunday, Louisiana State University of Alexandria went into lockdown after a false report of an active shooter. Authorities said multiple agencies searched every building on campus and found no evidence of any threat.

That same day, police in Radnor Township, Pennsylvania, confirmed that a report of an active shooter at Villanova University’s Austin Hall was a hoax, the second such false report at the school in four days.

No arrests have been reported in connection with the false reports at any of the universities.

No idea what’s going on but this is the scene outside of Norlin pic.twitter.com/SFoIsPtpGY

— Patrick Dawson (@patrickadawson3) August 25, 2025