A security guard at Saint Catherine University in Saint Paul, Minn., has been arrested for reporting an active shooter on campus after accidentally shooting himself on duty Tuesday night.
Authorities say 25-year-old Brent Patrick Ahlers told police he made up the story of an active shooter for fear of losing his job after shooting himself in the shoulder while handling his personal gun, reports the Star Tribune.
Firearms are prohibited on the campus and security guards at Saint Catherine are not issued a weapon.
Ahlers told police he was confronted by a black male with a “short afro” in a navy blue sweatshirt and black jeans in a wooded area on campus, according to a police scanner recording.
Ahlers was charged with filing a false police report, which is a misdemeanor, and was booked at the Ramsey County Jail. He was released on his own recognizance around 4:30 a.m. on Thursday.
Saint Paul Sergeant Mike Ernster says 55 police officers, four K-9 units, and a State Patrol aircraft searched for the alleged suspect.
Police conducted a building-by-building search and advised campus residents to stay indoors as they searched for the shooter. The search was eventually called off at 2 a.m. on Wednesday and the campus was given the all clear.
“Last night I was talking to you about an incident that shocked the community,” Ernster said in a news conference Wednesday night. “It had basically 1,800 students held captive in their dorm rooms at St. Catherine’s, it had residents of the Mac-Groveland and Highland Park communities fearing they would be hurt in their homes.”
According to a statement from Saint Catherine University President Becky Roloff, Ahlers has been on the Saint Catherine Department of Public Safety for 15 months with no reports of misconduct prior to Tuesday’s incident.
On Thursday, Roloff released another statement saying Ahlers’ description of the alleged suspect is “deeply troubling and does not reflect our values” and the university “strongly condemns racial discrimination, racial stereotyping, and racial profiling of any kind.”
Ahlers has hired an attorney, according to TwinCities.com.
