Hoax active shooter calls continue at U.S. universities

False reports of active shooters disrupted campuses in several states on Tuesday, continuing a wave of hoax calls that began in recent days.

In West Virginia, the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Office said a report of an active shooter at West Virginia University’s downtown campus was unfounded. Sheriff Todd Forbes confirmed that a thorough search found no evidence of a threat and the area was declared secure.

Around midday in Kentucky, University of Kentucky Police and Lexington Police responded to a false report of a shooter near William T. Young Library. Officers said they used campus security cameras to determine there was no threat and no alerts were issued.

Central Georgia Technical College also reported receiving a false call about an active shooter at its Macon campus on Tuesday afternoon. The school initially advised students to shelter in place, but the advisory was lifted after law enforcement cleared the campus.

The incidents come one day after the University of Colorado Boulder was placed into a three-hour lockdown due to a hoax call about shots fired at Norlin Library. Police later confirmed there was no threat and are investigating the case as swatting.

In recent days, at least 14 universities have been targeted by similar false reports, including those on Tuesday and others in New Hampshire, Arizona, Arkansas, Kansas, Iowa, Tennessee, South Carolina, Louisiana, and Pennsylvania. Police said the calls were hoaxes, but no arrests have been made.