Active shooter report at UK library deemed a hoax. It’s latest in nationwide string
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Police responded in minutes to William T. Young Library after hoax shooter call.
- Campus camera footage confirmed no active threat; suspect has not been found.
- FBI tracks growing wave of false campus threats reported at U.S. universities.
A report of an active shooter on the University of Kentucky campus has been deemed a hoax, according to the university.
The report came in just before 12:15 p.m., and police were first on scene in less than two minutes, the university said. Swarms of officers from the UK Police Department and Lexington Police Department responded to the library until it was determined the report was unfounded.
Police used the campus camera system to determine the report was a hoax, according to the university. Investigators have not identified who made the report.
The university said it did not send out any UK Alerts, and the university did not cancel any classes. The Kentucky Kernel posted a video of officers at the scene while students walked in the area.
Making false emergency calls to generate significant law enforcement response is known as swatting, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Swatters often use technology such as voiceover services or spoofed phone numbers to mask their identity.
Falsely reporting an incident is a class D felony in Kentucky, which is punishable up to five years in prison.
Several other universities have experienced fake active shooter calls since the beginning of the fall semester, according to NBC News. The University of Arkansas canceled classes Monday after receiving multiple “active threats” that could not be confirmed.
Other schools recently subjected to hoax reports were the University of Colorado Boulder, Iowa State University, Kansas State University, the University of New Hampshire and Northern Arizona University. The FBI is aware of the string of hoaxes at college campuses across the country and said it is too early to tell if any of them are connected, NBC News reported.
“Police are monitoring false reports of threats at universities across the country this week,” UK said in a statement. “The safety of our campus community is our top priority and we will continue to keep our community informed of safety updates.”
Between January 2023 and June 2024, there were more than 800 swatting incidents at U.S. K-12 schools, according to the K-12 School Shootings Database,
The Department of Homeland Security said hoax threats can disrupt, distract or harass locations that are the subject of the report. Oftentimes, individuals or institutions involved in the fake threat are unaware of the report, which can cause confusion or frustration from the target and law enforcement.
Classes at UK began Monday with its largest-ever class of freshmen, with an estimated 6,850 first-year students enrolled this fall and a total enrollment of 36,700, according to data from earlier this year.
This story was originally published August 26, 2025 at 1:37 PM.
