A 911 call reporting a shooting in Travers Hall to Campus Police this morning was deemed a hoax by law enforcement agencies. The campus was alerted via mass e-mail at 12:45 p.m. today.
According to Matt Golden, director of Communications and Media Relations, Campus Police received a 911 call shortly before 6 a.m. Golden was informed at 6:25 a.m. and sent out an e-mail to the campus community at 6:38 a.m. The call was not made from an on-campus extension.
Another e-mail, sent at 7:43 a.m., confirmed that Campus Police were looking into the situation and urged residents to stay in their current locations. At 8:01 a.m., a third e-mail said the reported shooting took place at Travers Hall. A fourth e-mail, sent at 10:01 a.m., said Campus Police could not confirm if a shooting had occurred.
Another e-mail sent at 12:09 p.m. said law enforcement "thus far found no evidence to corroborate that a shooting took place. Investigation of the matter continues aggressively, and (the College) has implemented additional security measures, but the investigating agencies believe the original report may have been inaccurate."
At 12:45 p.m. an e-mail was sent confirming that the 911 call was a hoax and a message appeared on the College's main Web site.
According to Golden, the College achieved its goal of informing people that a shooting was reported.
Law enforcement agencies and Campus Police are continuing the investigation and are stationed at security checkpoints in all residence halls. They plan to implement further security measures.
According to Golden, the College has not yet implemented a new campus notification system and is still working with NJEdge to select a system from a list of vendors. "The goal is to have it up and running sometime later this semester," Golden said.
The College's campus is not on lockdown but Campus Police urges students to be vigilant and safe.
Campus Police officers were checking students' bags at the Travers/Wolfe Hall security desks as students entered and left the building
Building service employees were allowed inside Travers/Wolfe Hall to work.
According to Kristen Randolph, freshman psychology major who lives in Cromwell but was staying in a friend's room in Travers Hall, the police knocked on her door and warned her about the reported shooting, while giving her safety instructions.
Campus Police also accounted for Travers Hall residents, asking them the whereabouts of their roommates if they were not present during Campus Police's rounds.
Another resident of Travers Hall detailed Campus Police's warning.
"They came pounding on my door at 7:45 a.m. and said there was a possible shooting," Katie Ryan, freshman open options major in the school of Culture and Society, said.
According to Golden, at this time there is no press conference scheduled and no further information at this time. The College will continue to provide information to the campus community.
