ANNAPOLIS, Md. – An active shooter hoax at the U.S. Naval Academy led to the lockdown of the campus and resulted in an injury to a midshipman who mistook law enforcement for the alleged active shooter. The incident, which unfolded late Thursday afternoon, highlights the growing concern over swatting incidents that have been plaguing educational institutions across the country.
Active Shooter Hoax Report Triggers Campus-Wide Lockdown
The scare began at approximately 5 p.m. when an anonymous post on a chat platform triggered a lockdown at the prestigious military academy. The reported threat suggested that a disgruntled former midshipman had returned to campus armed and was impersonating a military police officer.
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This claim, later determined to be false, originated from a computer belonging to a former midshipman in a different part of the country, reports Military.com.
During the lockdown, a midshipman, following standard procedure, was sheltering in place. In a tragic misunderstanding, the student mistook a responding officer for the purported active shooter. In a defensive move, the midshipman attacked the officer with a training weapon, reports AOL. The officer, responding to the sudden threat, shot the midshipman.
The injured midshipman was swiftly evacuated via medevac helicopter to a nearby hospital, where they were treated and reported to be in stable condition. The individual was released from the hospital the following day.
Additionally, a member of the naval security force sustained minor injuries during the incident and was treated at a hospital before being discharged.
The Rising Threat of Swatting Incidents on College Campuses
The incident at the U.S. Naval Academy is not isolated. According to a recent report by TDR Technology Solutions, at least 45 universities across the United States have been targeted by false active shooter reports since the start of the academic year. These swatting incidents have affected over one million students and have incurred costs exceeding $62 million for the institutions involved.
Related Article: How Colleges Should Handle Active Shooter Hoax Calls: Emergency Response Protocols and Clery Act Compliance
Experts warn that these hoaxes do more than incite fear and chaos; they divert critical law enforcement resources from actual emergencies and increase the potential for unintended harm during response efforts.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is involved in ongoing investigations to trace the sources of these threats, which are often complex and shrouded in anonymity.
The Naval Academy, which was closed to the public on Friday following the incident, has since been declared safe.
