Lockdown Lifted After Report Of Armed Person On Stevenson University's Campus
OWINGS MILLS, Md. (WJZ) -- Scare on campus. An active shooter warning put Stevenson University on lockdown. Investigators say students spotted someone with a gun. Students were barricaded inside classrooms at the Owings Mills campus for hours.
Meghan McCorkell has more on what caused the scare.
School officials say they believe students carrying a pellet gun caused the campus scare.
Police swarmed the Owings Mills campus of Stevenson University after there were reports of a man with a gun.
"You hear about this stuff on the news and you never really think it's going to happen to you," said student Alex Kleebauer.
Investigators say two students inside a dorm reported seeing a man walking on campus with a rifle. An active shooter alert was issued, causing students to barricade themselves inside classrooms.
"We put all of the desks in front of the door and chairs and book bags and stuff and just huddled behind the teacher's desk," said student Rachel Lang.
"As soon as I first heard it, I jumped on the tables and closed all the blinds and then everybody got in the corner," said student Raymond Hastings.
University officials say two students confessed to police they were carrying a BB gun on campus after hunting in nearby woods. The rifle confiscated by police lay on the curb near a truck.
So far, the students aren't facing charges.
"At this point, we have no evidence that a crime has even been committed," said Elise Armacost, Baltimore County Police.
Students were on lockdown for about two and a half hours as police did a building to building search of the entire campus.
Frantic family members rushed to campus.
"I'm just nervous. You know, you're sick of hearing all this kind of stuff," said grandmother Pat Bacon.
The scare reignited old fears for Josh Cho, who was a student at Perry Hall High School during the shooting there.
"It brought back some terror or fear of something happening bad," he said.
He and his classmates are just relieved no one was hurt.
The university canceled evening classes and activities here on campus.
University President Dr. Kevin J. Manning released this statement:
"Dear Stevenson Community:
I am sending this message to all of you to confirm that the Owings Mills campus lockdown has safely concluded. I am certain that you are all relieved that this is resolved and that you can return to your normal schedules. However, we have decided to cancel Owings Mills evening classes and activities. It appears that the incident was caused by two students who had poor judgment of hunting in the woods with two BB rifles near campus. We are proud of the response of our security staff, students and others in acting quickly and cooperatively with our campus alerts. While we are relieved with this safe outcome, this has been a sobering experience for us and our families. This reminds us all of the importance of our "see something, say something" mantra. Nothing is more important than your safety. Thank you for your continued support."
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