School officials at the University of Oklahoma say there is no evidence a shooting took place on campus Wednesday and that an alert about the shooting was a false alarm.
Students and faculty were told to shelter in place after a shooting was reported on campus at about 11:30 a.m. Wednesday. As of noon, the warnings were canceled and the school returned to normal operations after police and school officials could not find any evidence that a shooting took place.
A message posted to Twitter and on the university's Web page alerted everyone that a shooting occurred on campus and that Gould Hall, a building that houses the College of Architecture on the Van Vleet Oval, should be avoided.
The tweet sent by the school appears below.
Shooting on campus. Avoid Gould Hall. Seek immediate shelter in place.
— OU Sooners (@UofOklahoma) January 22, 2014
KFOR-TV, the NBC affiliate in Oklahoma City, reported that SWAT teams were activated and that Gould Hall was cleared after several people reported hearing gunshots. At about 12:15 p.m., with the campus back under normal operation, KFOR reports there is still a heavy police presence at the hall.
According to a report in The Oklahoma Daily, OU President David Boren was seen walking up the stairs to Gould Hall at about 11:55 a.m.
About an hour later, the school tweeted a message from Boren that said, "At this time, there is no evidence that shots were fired."
At about 2:15 p.m., the school tweeted that Gould Hall had been cleared and that students could return to class.
Gould Hall has been cleared for occupancy. Classes in Gould Hall are resuming. All other univ operations &classes will continue as normal.
— OU Sooners (@UofOklahoma) January 22, 2014