UMass Lowell was on lockdown after unfounded reports of a man with a gun walking near a residence hall on the first day of classes, as multiple local, state and federal law enforcement agencies swarmed the campus.
The college issued a community alert about the possible sightings of an armed individual, described as a “5’5 Asian male wearing a gray or white sweatshirt and black shorts carrying a long weapon” near the campus’ Riverview Suites.
Another alert went out urging students and faculty to “RUN, HIDE, FIGHT” and remain indoors until further notice.
The UMass Lowell campus is on lockdown after reports of a man with a gun. NBC10 BostonMassachusetts State Police said it was aware of a video circulating online that appeared to show the alleged suspect and that local cops had responded to the campus to investigate. The video has not been verified.
An alert describing a “5’5 Asian male wearing a gray or white sweatshirt and black shorts carrying a long weapon” prompted a massive police presence on first day of classes. NBC10 Boston
The video, which police said appeared to be captured out the window of a campus building and shows the suspect carrying what looks like an AR-style rifle — has not been verified. Cops said they obtained the video upon arrival at the scene.
Aerial footage captured by local and national outlets shows a large police presence at the school, including armored vehicles, K-9 units and multiple heavily armed officers in tactical gear.
Massachusetts Rep. Lori Trahan posted a statement on X that she was “actively monitoring” the situation, and urged local residents to follow the instructions of Lowell police and UMass Lowell.
The Lowell Public School District issued a statement around 3:40 p.m. that rerouted traffic had delayed some school buses and urged parents to be patient, according to the Lowell Sun.
Lowell Police said in a statement early Wednesday evening that no shots were fired at the public research university about 45 minutes north of Boston with a student population of around 12,000, and that “at no time was this an active shooter situation.”
The department said the Massachusetts State Police Air Wing, Numer Police K9s, Massachusetts State Police Troopers, the NEMLEC Swat Team, UMass Lowell Police, LNHP Law Enforcement Rangers, the FBI and ATF all responded to the scene.
Wednesday’s false report — also known as swatting — follows a wave of cruel incidents that have sparked chaos on college campuses across the country this summer.
Villanova University in Pennsylvania faced two baseless active shooter threats on campus just two days apart in late August.
One of the reported false shootings occurred at the private Augustinian Catholic school, located just 12 miles outside Philadelphia, as new students were moving into their dorms with their families on Aug. 21.
On the same day, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga was also placed on lockdown following a false active shooter alert.
The other incident at Villanova sparked panic three days later, with Auburn University in Alabama and Texas Tech University also victims of an unfounded threat of violence on Aug 24.
The next day, at least six universities in Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, and New Hampshire were targeted in similar active shooter alerts that turned out to be bogus.
