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Campus Safety

Schools
Swatting Group ‘Purgatory’ Linked To 10+ Hoax Active Shooter Calls As FBI Charges Suspect Swatting Group ‘Purgatory’ Linked To 10+ Hoax Active Shooter Calls As FBI Charges Suspect
Swatting Group ‘Purgatory’ Linked To 10+ Hoax Active Shooter Calls As FBI Charges Suspect A swatting group calling itself Purgatory is believed to be behind more than 10 hoax active shooter reports that triggered lockdowns at universities nationwide — and now, federal prosecutors have filed charges against a suspect tied to the spree, officials announced Thursday, April 30. Villanova At The Center The wave of hoaxes began on Aug. 21 at Villanova University, where families and new students attending orientation Mass were sent scrambling after an alert warned of an “ACTIVE SHOOTER” on campus. Students and parents barricaded doors and hid as heavily armed officers flooded the Main L…

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by Jillian Pikora
Schools
‘All Clear’ After False Active Shooter Report At UVA's Shannon Library ‘All Clear’ After False Active Shooter Report At UVA's Shannon Library
‘All Clear’ After False Active Shooter Report At UVA's Shannon Library A false report of an active shooter sparked panic and lockdowns at the University of Virginia’s Shannon Library on Monday before police determined there was no threat on campus. University officials said they received reports of an active shooter around 3 p.m. at 160 McCormick Road on Nov. 3.  “Police are currently at Shannon Library continuing to investigate. At this time there is no evidence of an attacker,” one early alert read. Lockdowns remained in effect for more than an hour as UVA Police cleared buildings and canvassed the area.  A steady stream of updates from the unive…

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by Zak Failla
News
Ohio State Student, 19, Found Dead Inside Buckeyes' Football Stadium Ohio State Student, 19, Found Dead Inside Buckeyes' Football Stadium
Ohio State Student, 19, Found Dead Inside Buckeyes' Football Stadium A 19-year-old Ohio State University student was found dead inside Ohio Stadium, prompting an investigation but no immediate safety alert to the campus community. University police said the student, identified as William Meyers of Fairfield, Connecticut, was discovered in the stadium’s northeast corner before 10 a.m. Friday, Sept. 26.  A university spokesman confirmed Meyers' identity in a statement to The Lantern, Ohio State's student newspaper. Officials said foul play is not suspected and there is no threat to the public, the outlet reported. The cause of death has not been released…

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by Joe Lombardi
Schools
'Peeping Tom' Sneaks Into Maryland Dorm Bathroom, Points Camera At Showering Student: Police 'Peeping Tom' Sneaks Into Maryland Dorm Bathroom, Points Camera At Showering Student: Police
'Peeping Tom' Sneaks Into Maryland Dorm Bathroom, Points Camera At Showering Student: Police A Peeping Tom is at large in Maryland after a student reported a voyeur incident inside a dorm, authorities announced. At approximately 11:11 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 15, the University of Maryland Police Department was alerted about an incident that had happened minutes earlier in Dorchester Hall. The student said that he was inside a communal bathroom on the third floor of the dorm taking a shower when he saw a White arm come over the top of the shower curtain holding a cellphone with the camera pointed toward him. He opened the curtain to confront the cameraman, but the suspect was ab…

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by Zak Failla
News
New Update: Restrictions Lifted After No Active Shooter Found At University Of Arkansas New Update: Restrictions Lifted After No Active Shooter Found At University Of Arkansas
New Update: Restrictions Lifted After No Active Shooter Found At University Of Arkansas Restrictions have now been lifted after police and campus officials warned students to keep away from Mullins Library as officers swarmed the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville for reports of an active shooter. On Monday afternoon, Aug. 25, the university’s RazALERT emergency system notified the campus community to avoid the area around Mullins Library “due to an active shooter reported,” according to the alert on social media. The message urged: “Avoid. Deny. Defend.” In a follow-up RazALERT, the university said police were responding to multiple reports around campus and reiterated th…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
All-Clear Update Issued After Active Shooting Warning At University Of South Carolina All-Clear Update Issued After Active Shooting Warning At University Of South Carolina
All-Clear Update Issued After Active Shooting Warning At University Of South Carolina This story has been updated. An all-clear update has been issued after an earlier urgent alert warned students and staff of a possible active shooter at the heart of campus at the University of South Carolina, leading to a shelter-in-place order. The updated was issued Sunday evening, Aug. 24, after earlier reports surfaced of a possible shooter at the Thomas Cooper Library, a central hub for students.  "ALL CLEAR," the update stated. "There is no ongoing emergency at this time. The Thomas Cooper Library building remains closed." Earlier, the suspect was described as a 6-foot ta…

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by Joe Lombardi
Schools
Second Hoax At Villanova University Sparks Police Response Ahead Of Classes Second Hoax At Villanova University Sparks Police Response Ahead Of Classes
Second Hoax At Villanova University Sparks Police Response Ahead Of Classes Villanova University faced a second false emergency report involving a weapon on campus Sunday, Aug. 24, one day before classes were scheduled to begin, Radnor Township Police confirmed. Officers were called to Austin Hall after a report of a possible threat, but police later confirmed the call was unfounded. Law enforcement searched the building, cleared the scene, and worked to restore normal operations. The investigation into the hoax is ongoing. The incident comes just three days after a fake active shooter report at Villanova’s law school sent the campus into chaos during orientation a…

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by Jillian Pikora
Police & Fire
DC Man Accused In Penn State Rape Finally Turns Himself In: US Marshals DC Man Accused In Penn State Rape Finally Turns Himself In: US Marshals
DC Man Accused In Penn State Rape Finally Turns Himself In: US Marshals A DC man accused of raping a student at Penn State last fall and going on the run surrendered hours after the US Marshals issued a BOLO looking for him, authorities announced. The US Marshals Service Eastern Pennsylvania Violent Crime Fugitive Task Force issued an alert on Monday, Aug. 18, advising that they are searching for 19-year-old Abdul-Jabril Cooper, who is wanted for the September 2024 rape of a student at Penn State’s Abington campus. On Tuesday, Aug. 19, federal officials confirmed that Cooper surrendered to the Penn State University Police. He now faces a host of charges. …

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by Zak Failla
Schools
High School Students Fall Through Grate During Campus Tour At Virginia Tech High School Students Fall Through Grate During Campus Tour At Virginia Tech
High School Students Fall Through Grate During Campus Tour At Virginia Tech A campus tour turned chaotic when 10 high school students visiting Virginia Tech fell through a utility grate, university officials said. Ten high schoolers from Washington County Public Schools fell approximately six feet through a collapsed utility grate during a tour of Virginia Tech’s Blacksburg campus on Wednesday morning, June 26, 2025, officials said. The group had been observing Pamplin Hall when the incident happened near the atrium windows, officials said. The students were able to get themselves out. Emergency responders quickly arrived and assessed the students.  Seven we…

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by Zak Failla
Schools
Villanova Student Removed From Campus After Assault Outcry, Won’t Walk At Graduation Villanova Student Removed From Campus After Assault Outcry, Won’t Walk At Graduation
Villanova Student Removed From Campus After Assault Outcry, Won’t Walk At Graduation A Villanova University student who recorded another student’s sexual assault will not walk at the school’s graduation ceremony following intense backlash, the victim's attorney told Daily Voice on Wednesday, April 9. Juan Eguiguren, a Villanova senior, was present during the assault of a female classmate, according to a lawsuit and campus petition. Rather than intervening, Eguiguren allegedly took photos of the incident and later slept in the same room, organizers of the campaign allege. In the underlying case, Elijah Joseph Katzenell, 22, of Camp Hill, PA (according to the Pennsylvania S…

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by Jillian Pikora
Obituaries
Maryland Woman Killed At Rice University 'Was Beacon Of Light, Source Of Inspiration' Maryland Woman Killed At Rice University 'Was Beacon Of Light, Source Of Inspiration'
Maryland Woman Killed At Rice University 'Was Beacon Of Light, Source Of Inspiration' The Maryland woman who was killed in an apparent murder-suicide shortly after returning to Rice University for the new semester is being remembered as a "vibrant soul who brought warmth and joy wherever she went."  This week, Nottingham resident Andrea Rodriguez Avila was identified as the person found during a welfare check by campus police at the university, where she was an incoming junior. University officials confirmed that Avila was found dead in her Jones College room, along with another man who suffered from a self-inflicted gunshot wound and was not a member of the Rice community a…

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by Zak Failla