UGA Shooter Report Confirmed as Hoax Amid Nationwide Trend
Last night, the University of Georgia community experienced a tense and frightening situation that, thankfully, turned out not to be real. Around 8:45 p.m. on Friday, the UGA Police Department received a call reporting an armed shooter near the university’s Main Library on South Jackson Street. Within minutes, alerts went out to students and staff instructing them to shelter in place and avoid the area. A large police presence quickly surrounded the library as first responders searched for any sign of a threat.
By 9:34 p.m., however, officials announced that evidence suggested the incident was likely a hoax. Officers remained on scene to investigate, but no shooter was found. University spokesperson Rod Guajardo explained that officers had “quickly responded and searched the area,” and that early indications pointed toward a false report. Still, students and community members were urged to stay away while police gathered information. Updates were directed to the university’s emergency website instead of emergency phone lines, which were being kept clear for urgent calls.
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The timing of this scare was especially notable. It came just one day after UGA conducted a test of its emergency alert system, and only hours before the Bulldogs’ first football game of the season. Many on campus were already on edge, and the report caused confusion and anxiety before the all-clear was issued.
The University of Georgia was not the only school to deal with such a situation. Law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, have recently been tracking a disturbing trend of false active-shooter calls—sometimes referred to as “swatting”—targeting universities across the country. Just this past week, schools from Arkansas to Colorado to New Hampshire dealt with similar hoax calls that forced lockdowns and emergency responses. In Georgia, institutions like Mercer University and Central Georgia Technical College have also faced fake threats that disrupted campus life and required heavy police involvement.
Authorities believe these incidents may be connected, with callers often using multiple reports or even background noises, like gunfire sounds, to make their threats seem convincing. The FBI has confirmed it is monitoring the surge in hoax calls nationwide. For now, UGA Police and Athens-Clarke County Police continue their investigation, ensuring that no credible danger exists and that the campus remains safe.
While relief came quickly in Athens once the situation was revealed to be a hoax, the episode highlighted how disruptive and dangerous false reports can be. Students and staff were forced into moments of fear, emergency resources were stretched thin, and the community was reminded of the real threat posed by misinformation. Officials are urging the public to remain vigilant, report suspicious activity, and allow law enforcement to handle alerts with caution, even when the danger turns out not to be real.
In the end, no shooter was found at the University of Georgia, but the scare is now part of a growing pattern across the nation—one that police and federal investigators are working urgently to address.
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