By: Christina Lieffring
Campus police were called to the scene after an unnamed source informed of a young woman carrying what they believed to be a long gun, possibly a shotgun, on campus this afternoon. Officers arrived at the General Education Building (GEB) within minutes, and by 3:40 p.m., the college sent an alert by text to all students and staff, detailing that the Carlsen Center, Office and Classroom Building, Communications, Billington Library, GEB and areas surrounding the college were all under lockdown.
At press time, it is still unclear if the suspicious person was reported by one or two sources. Campus Police have been unable to confirm the presence of the suspicious person nor whether they were actually carrying a weapon. The source claimed she was a young, white female, 5 feet 10 inches, sporting dark clothing with her hair in a ponytail.
By 4:00 p.m., the Overland Park Police had arrived to assist in the investigation, and shorty after, the entire campus was ordered on full lockdown. Entrances to the campus were closed and guarded by police. All classes were cancelled for the rest of the day.
Officer Dan Robles reported that police were checking security cameras to aid in tracking down the suspicious person, adding it’s finding one person out of the 15,000 on a 250-acre campus.
Police inspected each building thoroughly, including checking the closets. By 5:40 p.m., the school began to release the students and faculty.
At 7:10 p.m. the college formally announced the lockdown was over and classes would resume Friday, Sept. 5.
There still hasn’t been any confirmation of the suspicious person nor the weapon.
10:00 p.m.: It has been confirmed that the call was made by one source.