U.S.’ Villanova University says report of campus shooter was ‘cruel hoax’
August 22, 2025e-Paper
The View From India Looking at World Affairs from the Indian perspective.
First Day First Show News and reviews from the world of cinema and streaming.
Today's Cache Your download of the top 5 technology stories of the day.
Science For All The weekly newsletter from science writers takes the jargon out of science and puts the fun in!
Data Point Decoding the headlines with facts, figures, and numbers
Health Matters Ramya Kannan writes to you on getting to good health, and staying there
The Hindu On Books Books of the week, reviews, excerpts, new titles and features.
August 22, 2025e-Paper
U.S.’ Villanova University says report of campus shooter was ‘cruel hoax’
False active shooter reports at Villanova and University of Tennessee cause panic, lockdowns, and investigations on campus
Updated - August 22, 2025 07:40 am IST - Villanova, U.S.
Police respond at the Villanova University campus, where an active shooter was reported on August 21, 2025. | Photo Credit: AP
False reports of active shooters at Villanova University and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga have led to panic and temporary lockdowns at the two campuses as they kicked off their fall semesters.
In Pennsylvania someone called 911 at about 4:30 p.m. on Thursday (August 21, 2025) reporting a shooter in a Villanova law school building with at least one wounded victim.
Students received texts from the school’s alert system saying, “Active Shooter on VU campus. Move to a secure location. Lock/barricade doors.” The school’s president later said it was a hoax.
“Today, as we are celebrating Orientation Mass to welcome our newest Villanovans and their families to our community, panic and terror ensued,” the Rev Peter M. Donohue said in a statement. “Mercifully, no one was injured and we now know it was a cruel hoax.”
A mess of toppled chairs at the Villanova University campus where an active shooter was reported on August 21, 2025, in Villanova, Pa. | Photo Credit: AP
About four hours earlier, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga locked down its campus, telling students: “Possible active shooter in the University Centre or Library. Run. Hide. Fight. More info forthcoming.” After multiple law enforcement agencies, including the FBI plus local fire and emergency crews responded, the lockdown was lifted less than an hour later. School officials said there was no evidence of any threat.
At Villanova, where new student orientation was underway and classes begin next week, the initial report sent police scouring the campus and even had some law enforcement officials suggesting they believed there was a shooter.
“He's in one of these buildings. Law enforcement for the entire tri-state area is here. And we are going door to door, room to room if we have to, to take this situation under control and to make this campus safe,” Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer told WPVI-TV.
At a news conference later, Stollsteimer said authorities will conduct a full investigation.
“If this was indeed a cruel hoax, this is a crime,” he said.
“This is every parent's nightmare, right? You're sending your kid off to college, sometimes for their first day, and you get an alert that there could be a shooter on the campus,” he said.
People react at the Villanova University campus. | Photo Credit: AP
Courtenay Harris Bond was walking near the law school with her husband and son, a freshman, when word spread of the supposed shooting.
“Really tough way to start freshman year at college,” she said shortly after being given the all-clear to leave the bookstore where the family spent the lockdown.
Villanova is a private Catholic university in the Philadelphia suburbs. It borders Lower Merion Township and Radnor Township at the centre of the city's wealthy Main Line neighbourhoods.
The Augustinian school got extra attention this year as the alma mater of new Pope Leo XIV.
Published - August 22, 2025 07:38 am IST
Related Topics
Terms & conditions | Institutional Subscriber
Comments
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.
إرسال تعليق