ATLANTA — At least three north Georgia universities were the targets of hoax shooting calls on Friday night.
Channel 2 Action News has confirmed through university officials at the University of Georgia in Athens, Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta and the University of West Georgia in Carrollton that they received false reports of threats.
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All of the calls reported a shooter near the university’s library.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation say they have been made aware of the incidents and are working alongside local law enforcement.
"The GBI is aware of these incidents and the nationwide trend by online threat actors to disrupt schools with these swatting incidents. We are coordinating with other states and our local partners to address these issues," the GBI wrote in a statement.
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- All clear given after reports of gunman at University of West Georgia
The FBI says they have learned of an increase in swatting calls across the country and take all of them seriously.
<i>“We are aware of recent swatting incidents involving a number of colleges and universities and are working with our law enforcement partners.</i>
<i>The FBI is seeing an increase in swatting events across the country, and we take potential hoax threats very seriously because it puts innocent people at risk. Knowingly providing false information to emergency service agencies about a possible threat to life drains law enforcement resources, costs thousands of dollars, and, most importantly, puts innocent people at risk. We work closely with our law enforcement partners to determine their credibility, share information, and take appropriate investigative action. As always, we encourage members of the public to remain vigilant and immediately report anything they consider suspicious to law enforcement.”</i>
— FBI spokesperson
There have been no reports of injuries at any of the universities.
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