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CEDAR CITY — Southern Utah University was put on lockdown Thursday and all classes canceled for the entire day after the school received a threat of a possible active shooter.
But after hours of resources were used to search every building on campus, no evidence was found any shots had been fired, and no one was injured.
Thursday afternoon, however, police weren't ready to say if the threat was legitimate or if the school was the victim of a swatting hoax.
"We're taking it seriously until we find out through our investigation that it was a hoax," said SUU Police Chief Carlos Medina.
The scare began about 9:20 a.m. when the school received a "suspicious phone call" claiming an active shooter was on campus.
"After an initial alert was sent to students and employees, the campus of Southern Utah University went on lockdown for the safety and protection of the campus community," the university stated.
"We received reports of hearing noises that sounded like shots fired at the Science Building at Southern Utah University. All SUU Facilities are on lockdown. If you are on campus, follow lockdown procedures, by going into the nearest room and locking the door. If you are not on campus stay away. Police are on the scene and investigating," the university posted online as the incident unfolded.
Just after 10:20 a.m., the university announced the Science Building had been cleared.
"There has been confirmation that NO SHOTS were fired. ALL buildings still remain on lockdown. If you are on campus, follow lockdown procedures, by going into the nearest room and locking the door," the university stated.
Initially, the school received information of a possible suspect description of "a white male with black hat, black shades, green T-shirt, long hair, blue jeans, 20-25 years old." But by Thursday afternoon, the school stated that police believe "it's highly unlikely that the possible suspect was actually involved in this threat."
By 1:15 p.m., the school reported that all buildings at Southern Utah University had been searched and cleared by police and nothing was found. Medina, however, said the investigation into the original suspicious call was still active and campus police were receiving assistance from the FBI. Cedar City police also assisted on Thursday.
"We are grateful to SUU police and the many local law enforcement agencies for their swift response and superb coordination, prioritizing safety on our campus and in our community. Thank you to all who were an important part of the successful resolution of the situation," SUU President Mindy Benson said.
The university was part of a statewide swatting hoax in 2023. Medina says he is waiting for the other buildings to be checked before determining if Thursday's incident is also a hoax.
The university says all classes and activities Thursday have been canceled and the campus is closed for the rest of the day. Classes and activities are scheduled to resume Friday.
Additionally on Thursday, the Iron County School District announced all of its schools in Cedar City and Enoch implemented "secure action" protocol due to "a police incident in the area." The only schools not affected were Parowan Elementary, Parowan High and Escalante Valley Elementary.
"As a precaution, all doors are locked and no one can leave or enter the building. Classes will continue uninterrupted inside the building. Students may not be able to leave the school building for classes off campus," the district stated.
By 11:15 a.m., the action at all schools in the Iron County district had been lifted.
"Everything back to normal, it was a precautionary measure. There were never threats made to Iron County District schools," the district said.
