Prank active shooter calls leave FIU, other South Florida college campus on edge
MIAMI -- Officials at Florida International University said there was no danger after school police received a report Tuesday morning of an active shooter, prompting an evacuation order and rattling nerves on the west Miami-Dade campus.
The call to FIU was similar to ones made to other colleges in South Florida, including campuses in Broward and Palm Beach counties.
No injuries were reported at FIU but several police officers responded to the west Miami-Dade school around 9 a.m. after reports of an active shooter inside the building that houses the school's nursing college.
The caller said there were 12 people who had been shot in a building lab and someone was hiding in an unknown room.
FIU initially tweeted an alert, telling everyone to evacuate the area because of the situation but followed that up a short time later saying there had been reports of a shooter in AHC 3 but officers had "cleared the building" and were now searching the campus to ensure safety.
FIU police chief Alexander Casas said investigators would work to determine who made the call and hold them accountable. Casas is a veteran who spent 21 years with the Miami-Dade Police Department.
"It's a tremendous drain on our resources," he said. "But at the end of the day, this was a good test of our police response. And we did what was appropriate."
Casas told CBS News Miami's Peter D'Oench "When you receive the call you are expecting the worst but I thought the police response was appropriate. This is massive disruption for everyone and takes an emotional toll."
We heard some chilling comments from a police dispatcher who told officers "I am being advised there iOS an active shooter and multiple people evacuating the building at this time. At the College of Nursing, there is a report of 12 people shot in the laboratory. I am being advised that the subject is a white Latin male with an armed long rifle."
The police dispatcher's comments were heard on Broadcastify.
The call put several students on edge.
"It caused a lot of panic," student Brooke Fasano said. "A lot of people went home. They were scared. Some were crying. It was really scary and I don't know why someone would do something like this. This caused a lot of panic."
Student Kiki Roberts said "We heard there was a shooter and my first thought was I need to leave campus and take shelter and find somewhere safe to go. These types of calls have got to stop."
FIU student Christelle Estimavle said "I was scared and nervous. I live on campus and we had to evacuate and I did not know where to go."
Student Christopher Ruiz said, "It is unfortunate that somebody would do this. I was glad to see that police responded as quickly as they did."
The hoax call to FIU was one of several similar calls made to college campuses around South Florida, including City College in Hollywood and Florida Atlantic University in Broward County,
A spokesperson for the city of Hollywood said there was no injuries or threats found on the City College campus after the hoax call was made.
According to reports, Palm Beach Atlantic University was also the victim of a prank call and police in West Palm Beach said later it was a hoax.
Video shared with WPEC-TV showed an active police presence at the campus.
There were also reports of an active shooter at the University of South Florida's Sarasota-Manatee campus and at Santa Fe College in Gainesville.
Those reports, however, turned out to be unfounded.
Swatting is a federal crime and under Florida law can mean up to 20 years in prison if you are convicted of making such a call.