Gunman Scare At Chapman University In Orange Causes Brief Panic Among Students

ORANGE (CBSLA.com) — Authorities say police have completed their investigation into a report of a man with a possible weapon, but found no threat on the campus of Chapman University.

Around 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, dozens of officers responded to a report of a possible gunman in DeMille Hall, a dormitory located at Sycamore and University avenues.

The report prompted a large police presence as well as panic among dozens of students.

"We were just taking our finals. We got alerts on our phones and our teacher told us to turn off the lights, lock the doors, get under the desks," one student said.

"Everybody's phones just started going off and some guy said, 'there's a possible man with a weapon in the building' and the professor quickly jumped into action and told us to get down and turn off the lights," Jennifer Cabrara, another student, said.

Students say they received a series of text messages from the Department of Public Safety to shelter in place.

"Just a little terrifying because everyone in our class got phone calls and they told us to like get down and shut off the lights and stuff so it was a little intense," said Marie Marchant, another student.

Dozens of students were in the middle of finals and walked safely out after waiting in their classrooms for about six minutes.

Police searched the campus and determined there was no gunman, but for at least an hour, many worried about their loved ones, tweeting:

The school issued the following statement indicating in part:

"Chapman University is relieved that, in the wake of a reported possible gunman on campus, and a thorough investigation and search by Orange Police Department and campus Public Safety, no threat was found."