Shooting in Athens Georgia today: Are reports of man with gun at University of West Georgia true? Police respond

Police have reassured the public that a university is safe after there were reports that a man had been seen with a gun near the library.

The man was said to have been seen at the University of West Georgia in Carrollton, United States, but the reports have been determined to be hoax, according to the school. They said “a male with a gun” had been reported near the Ingram Library, located on South Jackson Street in the heart of campus, just before 9pm on Friday (August 29). But, just after 10.30pm, local police delivered an all-clear.

UGA Police said a call came in to them via their communications centre in around 8.45pm. Officers immediately responded, searched the library and surrounding area, and found no signs of a shooter. In a 9.34pm social media update, police said a preliminary investigation "suggests the event was a hoax," though officers remained on scene to investigate and collect evidence. At 10.39 p.m, UGA posted on X that the situation at the Main Library was "ALL CLEAR" and there was no emergency.

Students and community members were initially alerted of the situation by an emergency message at 8.51pm that urged people to avoid the library and not call emergency lines for information. "Officers quickly responded and searched the area. A preliminary investigation suggests the event was a hoax, but officers remain in the vicinity to investigate and collect information," the department said in a statement.

Police are still asking students and staff to stay away from the area, however, while the investigation continues. Updates will be posted at emergency.uga.edu.

Athens-Clarke County Police Department confirmed that they were called in to assist UGAPD in its investigation of an "active shooter" on campus. ACCPD said that there does not appear to be any evidence of a shooterm but they are working "diligently" with UGAPD and other agencies to ensure the safety of students and the community.

This is the third report of a person with a gun at a Georgia university on Friday night. Reports of shooters at Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta and the University of Georgia in Athens were determined to be hoaxes.

FBI Atlanta announced earlier this week that it is joining an investigation into a rash of hoax active shooter calls which have been targeting universities across the country all throughout this month. According to authorities, schools in the Macon area were forced to go on lockdown three times this week due to fake threats.

Authorities say most of the cases involved multiple calls about an active shooter or shooting, and at least four included the sound of gunshots in the background. The agency is asking members of the public to still immediately report anything suspicious to law enforcement.