COLUMBIA, S.C. (WSPA) – Students at the University of South Carolina are attempting to get back to normal.
Reports of an active shooter disturbed the first week back to school for students and faculty, putting campus on lock down for hours Sunday evening.
Sunday night at around 6:30, students at USC received a text message said “Active shooter at Thomas Cooper Library on Columbia campus.”
Many students said they were told to stay put.
The university’s police force believes that the active shooter alert was part of a swatting incident, similar to those occurring at other universities recently. Still, some students are hesitant to return to campus.
“I didn’t feel safe going back today; I needed time to process,” shared Makenly Powers, a USC student who took refuge in the Thomas Cooper Library.
Classes resumed Monday and USC Police said there is no threat on campus.
“There were about eight of us upstairs. We all hit the floor because we were uncertain of what to do,” Powers recounted. “We were sending texts to our parents, saying, ‘I love you. If something happens, know that I love you,’ because it felt very real at that moment.”
No shooter was found when law enforcement searched the campus. There are a lot of students here at the library and campus, Monday.
“I’m focused on making it through my classes this week,” remarked sophomore Shaun Rhodes. “It feels like the first Monday, but with confirmation that everything is clear, I’ll treat it like a regular day.”
Not everyone agreed.
“We received six alerts about an active shooter, then suddenly it was all clear with no incident,” Powers mentioned. “First responders and law enforcement were everywhere, and now we’re expected to behave as if nothing occurred.”
Some teachers cancelled class, some said class was optional, and some said students had to show up on Monday.
“A professor mentioned it was okay if you couldn’t attend class, understanding the gravity of what happened,” said student Xavier Meares.
“I know a lot of my friends also didn’t feel safe going to class today, but their professors were like, ‘I’m still taking attendance because the university said so,'” Powers said.
The university said they are providing counseling to those need it and they are directing those students, faculty, and staff to the center for health and wellbeing.
USCPD also confirmed there were two minor injuries from the evacuation of the library, USC said both people were hospitalized and have been released.
The investigation in conjunction with SLED is still ongoing.
