A text alert was sent to students at the University of Arkansas on Monday afternoon, indicating there was an active shooter report. As of 1:48 p.m. local time, Nexstar’s KNWA noted that police had not found any evidence of a shooter but were still conducting thorough building checks on the campus.
The alert advised everyone to avoid the area of Mullins Library, instructing people to “Avoid. Deny. Defend.”
Police cars from the University of Arkansas were stationed outside the building, and the Fayetteville Police Department confirmed their active role in helping to secure the premises.
Brock Boddie, a junior at the University of Arkansas, recounted being on the third floor of Mullins Library. He noticed people yelling and moving around, and shortly after, received an alert about a potential active shooter on campus.
Boddie mentioned that students were directed to the Arkansas Union, where they observed armed officers outside the library, instructing students to evacuate as they had their guns drawn.
The alert also prompted the lockdown of a nearby Walmart store, KNWA reports.
This incident follows an active shooter report at Villanova University earlier in the week, which caused panic among students on Thursday. That report was later deemed a “cruel hoax,” according to the university’s president.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
