This week Florida International University reportedly dealed with a false active shooting report this week near their College of Nursing and Health Sciences on the Modesto Maidique Campus.
FIU and local police responded immediately and thankfully no deaths occurred and the building was cleared safely. Authorities now believe this was a, "swatting," incident where a false police report is made in order to cause a mass allocation of police resources to one location, which is illegal.
In fact, no shooter was present at all raising suspicions that the entire incident was fraudulent. An investigation is currently underway to determine the origin of the call.
Alexander D. Casas, chief of the Florida International University Police Department said in a statement, "I’m grateful that everyone is safe and that we were able to move forward with commencement ceremonies and other activities as planned. Today’s incident gave police and the university community an opportunity to practice our training. The response from all law enforcement agencies was timely and appropriate, and I am proud of the FIU community response."
If you have been adversely impacted by this incident or others like it, FIU Student Health & Wellness offers several avenues of support, including our Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS). Their number is 305-348-2277. Faculty and staff resources are available through FIU’s Office of Employee Assistance (OEA) at 305-348-2469 or via email at oea@fiu.edu.
