Scene cleared at Howard University after unconfirmed reports of shooter, DC police say

WASHINGTON - The all-clear has been given at Howard University after there were unfounded reports of a shooter on campus Tuesday afternoon, according to authorities.

DC police they responded to the 2400 block of 6th Street, Northwest at about 12:05 p.m. after receiving a report of a possible active shooter on campus. According to officials, there were two calls of reported shootings: one at the Administration Building and another at the College of Medicine building.

Howard University officials said they were anonymously notified of a potential shooter on campus and called police. Officials said the Administration Building and the College of Medicine building were evacuated and police conducted sweeps of all the buildings on campus.

Authorities closed 6th Street from Fairmount Street, Northwest to College Street, Northwest and Howard Place from Georgia Avenue to 4th Street, Northwest as crews searched the campus.

Just before 2:15 p.m., DC police said the scene was cleared and the lockdown lifted after there was no evidence of a shooting found on the campus.

"We're going to do a real, real good investigation because this is only the beginning. We have found no evidence, no witnesses, nothing that supports that there was a shooting on our campus or any location," Alonzo Joy, the interim police chief for Howard University said.

"There will always be some concern or nervousness about incidents like this. They are not normal and not something that we take lightly at all," Howard University President Wayne Frederick said.

School officials said the remainder of classes were canceled for Tuesday but would resume as scheduled on Wednesday. The school was celebrating homecoming this week and campus officials said all planned activities would resume as scheduled with added security.

Several students questioned why it took the university so long to notify them of the emergency as the campus-wide alert wasn't issued until 12:45 p.m., nearly 40 minutes after the initial report. Campus officials said they not only wanted to get the information out quickly but also accurately.

Police and school officials said their investigation into the incident was ongoing. Authorities said if the incident turns out to be a hoax, the source of the calls made to police could face charges.