Danny Fulgencio
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On Thursday, a number of Texas colleges and universities, including two in North Texas, received calls reporting an on-campus active shooter, only to determine it was a hoax in each instance. Police have termed today’s hoax calls “swatting.”
Collin College on Spring Creek Parkway in Plano is one of the campuses where police were falsely notified of a mass shooting scenario. At 10:13 a.m. the Plano Police Department tweeted that there was a “possible active shooter” at the school and “officers are on the scene clearing the area.”
At 10:56 a.m. Collin College tweeted an update: “On Thursday, April 13, Collin College officials were made aware of a possible assailant at the Plano campus. The safety of our students, employees and visitors is paramount, and the Plano campus went into immediate lockdown. Upon investigation, it was determined to be a false report. An ‘all clear’ was issued and those remaining in the building were asked to evacuate. Classes and normal operation will begin at 1 p.m.”
— Collin College (@collincollege) April 13, 2023
“Swatting” is a call made to an emergency response agency reporting a non-existent emergency. The goal is to have law enforcement personnel dispatched.
No injuries have been reported from Collin College. Heather Bowdem, public information officer of the Plano Police Department, sent an email to media outlets with more details.
“Please be advised that we had a HOAX call come into our 9-1-1 center at approximately 9:45 am that a mass shooting had occurred at Collin College Plano campus,” she wrote.
As of 12:15 p.m. Thursday, six other Texas schools have reportedly been subjected to swatting. Texas Wesleyan University in Fort Worth, Baylor University in Waco, Texas A&M University in College Station, Galen College of Nursing in San Antonio, Del Mar College in Corpus Christi and Tyler Junior College have also each been given the “all clear” from their respective police departments following reports of shooters on their campuses.
According to multiple reports, authorities believe that the same caller is responsible for each of the hoax calls Thursday.
