Villanova University Shooter warns “cruel hoax” and no one gets injured
Villanova Univ. Pastor Peter Donohue confirmed that the report of the active shooter was “cruel hoax” and that no injuries or firearms were found on campus.
Villanova University Campus took wary an hour after a nervous hour after it was issued on the first day of orientation with what officials call “cruel hoax.”
“We’re all going to try and get to the bottom of who did this. If this was a really cruel hoax, then this is a crime and that’s what we do in the end, we’ll track you down.”
The Radner Township Police Department said in a social media post that it confirmed that there were no injuries and that the hoax was being investigated by federal and state officials.
“We are grateful to be able to confirm that there is no evidence of active shooter cases or victims,” police said. “We couldn’t be proud of the Villanova community to enforce shelters and enable law enforcement to systematically investigate cases.”
In a post from X, previously known as Twitter, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro confirmed that reports of active shooters on campus were “basically unfounded.”
“The report of active shooters at Villanova today is a product of a cruel attack case when someone calls a fake threat to induce panic,” Shapiro said. “I have instructed @PastatePolice to work with my partner and use all the tools at will to find and hold them accountable for those or people who have called this fake threat.”
According to the university’s academic calendar, the active shooter warning was issued on the first day of new student orientation while families attended the school’s welcome mass.
“Police on the scene. We’ll move to secure a place. Lock/barricade doors. Details to continue,” the school warning said. “The lockdown remains. There is a lot of police presence on campus. They remain indoors. Don’t leave. Safe rooms and buildings.
The school told students to avoid the law school’s Scarpa hall and continue evacuating. The apparent hoax also urged local law enforcement to respond to the Villanova campus.
The Radner Township Police Department said in a post from X that it is liquidating the buildings in the area.
“The Radner Township Police Station and Support Unit continue to settle the Villanova University building. The incident remains active. At this time, there are no reported casualties,” police said.
The apparent hoax came hours after another active shooter was reported on the University of Tennessee campus in Chattanooga. All clears were issued for that campus immediately after the initial report.
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA Today. Contact him at fernando.cervantes @gannett.com and follow him at x @fern_cerv_.
