A reported active shooter at the University of South Carolina main campus library on Sunday was determined to be a swatting hoax, university officials said.
According to university spokesperson Jeff Stensland, the University of South Carolina Police Department (USCPD) received two separate calls Sunday evening claiming there was an active shooter at the Thomas Cooper Library. The calls came in at 6:30:42 p.m. and again at 6:32:20 p.m.
Both calls were placed by an unidentified male and included background audio designed to resemble gunfire, Stensland said in an email to CNN on Monday. Investigators have found no evidence that the calls originated from within the campus.
Video claims to show the “active shooter” at University of South Carolina — described as carrying a long rifle (though it looks more like an umbrella), wearing black shorts, green shirt, white shoes, and a black backpack near the Thomas Cooper Library. pic.twitter.com/VyDDFPF0iJ
— Resist Times (@resistupdates) August 24, 2025
The incident prompted an immediate law enforcement response and a series of emergency alerts to students, faculty, and staff. The university issued its first alert shortly after 6:30 p.m., warning of a possible active shooter situation at the library. A follow-up alert included a description of a potential suspect as police began searching the building.
By approximately 7:10 p.m., the university issued another alert stating that authorities had found no evidence of an active shooter. However, police continued to search the area out of an abundance of caution.
Officers cleared the Thomas Cooper Library floor by floor, escorting occupants to safety while ensuring the building was secure. No injuries were reported, and officials later confirmed there was no threat to the campus community.
Sunday’s false report in Columbia, South Carolina, occurred just hours after a similar incident at Villanova University in Pennsylvania. According to police in Radnor Township, Villanova received its second false active shooter report within a week.
Earlier in the week, Villanova University and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga were both placed on lockdown following reports of an active shooter. Law enforcement authorities are investigating the Tennessee incident as a possible swatting case, according to a law enforcement source.
Swatting is a criminal hoax in which individuals make false emergency calls to police in order to trigger a large law enforcement response. These hoaxes often involve fabricated reports of serious crimes, such as mass shootings, bomb threats, or hostage situations. Authorities warn that swatting incidents are extremely dangerous, as they divert emergency resources and can place both law enforcement officers and civilians at risk.
Stensland told WIS-TV on Sunday that officials had no confirmation of any shooter at the library at any point during the incident. “We received an unconfirmed report of an active shooter at the Thomas Cooper Library,” he said. “At this time, we have no injuries and no confirmation that there actually was a shooter.”
University officials said the investigation into the hoax is ongoing. Authorities are working to identify the individual or individuals responsible for the false calls.
The story was updated as additional information became available.