The UNT Health Science Center in Fort Worth was locked down and evacuated Wednesday after someone mistook a person carrying camera equipment for a person with a gun.
The campus was under lockdown for about two hours Wednesday afternoon with school officials warning of a "potential for violence" after someone reported seeing a person carrying a weapon into the Interdisciplinary Research & Education Building (IREB).
Ruth Roman, COO of UNTHSC said Wednesday afternoon that after the report was received the campus emergency management system was activated and the Fort Worth Police were called to assist in the response, which included securing and evacuating buildings.
Roman said at about 2:15 p.m., about 90 minutes after the first alert had been sent out, the person who was believed to have carried a weapon into the IREB building was positively identified and interviewed. It was then that investigators learned that what had been carried into the building was camera equipment.
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"I want to thank everyone for their cooperation, patience and assistance, especially the Fort Worth Police Department," Roman said. "We take the safety of our entire campus, our students, our faculty, our staff, the community at large, extremely seriously. That is why we move quickly when we get these kinds of reports, to ensure the safety of our community at large."
Roman said the school was ready to provide any further assistance students or faculty may need, including counseling.
More information is expected to be provided once the investigation into the incident is completed.
UNTHSC WARNS OF 'POTENTIAL FOR VIOLENCE' IN LOCKDOWN ALERT
The report of a dangerous person on the UNT Health Science Center campus was received shortly before 12:38 p.m. That's when an alert was sent from the UNTHSC Twitter account saying that the campus was being locked down due to a "potential for violence" and that people were ordered to "seek shelter immediately."
The same message, which can be seen below, was again tweeted 17 minutes later.
"There is a potential for violence affecting the HSC campus near the IREB building that requires immediate lockdown. Seek shelter immediately inside a secure location. More info to follow," the center tweeted.
No further information was immediately released by the school, but Fort Worth Police told NBC 5 at the time that they had received several calls for a person on campus with a weapon.
Dozens of officers were seen in the area and police in SWAT gear were seen entering the building and later searching the campus room by room.
At 2:24 p.m., the school tweeted that the emergency condition was over and that those on campus could return to normal activities.
There were no reports of any injuries.
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