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'All Clear' issued after active shooter reported on the University of South Carolina’s Columbia campus
By Greg Wehner
Published August 24, 2025
The University of South Carolina issued an "all clear" after the school warned of reports of an active shooter on campus Sunday evening.
Campus officials added there was no ongoing emergency.
Earlier in the evening, the school ordered students and staff on its Columbia campus to shelter in place, saying an active shooter had been reported near the Thomas Cooper Library.
The school said the library would remain closed, despite the fact that no shooting took place.
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Police responded to the University of South Carolina at Columbia on Sunday night after reports of an active shooter, though the "all clear" was given after discovering there was no evidence of a threat. (WACH)
An alert went out just after 6:30 p.m. ET, warning people to avoid the area and to evacuate or barricade if necessary.
Officials later said there was no evidence of an active shooter.
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"Police are searching affected buildings," officials said on the alert system.
Video circulated online of a person walking toward a campus building while carrying a black object, which some said appeared to be a long rifle.
Scott Prill, the deputy chief of police for the University of South Carolina, dispelled the rumor, saying the person was carrying an umbrella.
The all clear was given after 8 p.m. on Sunday.
Last week, parents were dropping their kids off at Villanova University in Pennsylvania and attending an orientation Mass when the school went on lockdown because of reports of an active shooter.
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The University of South Carolina issued an "all clear" after reports of an active shooter on campus Sunday evening. (WACH)
Villanova President Peter Donohue later described the incident as a "cruel hoax."
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"There was no active shooter, no injuries and no evidence of firearms present on campus," Donohue wrote in a statement to Fox News.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/all-clear-issued-after-active-shooter-reported-university-south-carolinas-columbia-campus