Shooting Threat At USF Sarasota-Manatee A Hoax: Manatee Sheriff

SARASOTA, FL — Deputies determined that an active shooter threat at the University of South Florida’s Sarasota-Manatee campus at 8350 N. Tamiami Trail in Sarasota is part of a statewide hoax at Florida, according to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.

The campus has been cleared and there were no injuries, the sheriff’s office wrote in a Facebook post.

Earlier Tuesday, MCSO responded to an active shooter threat at the campus after USF sent out an alert that shots had been fired near the first-floor gymnasium. Staff and students were ordered to evacuate the area.

The USF campus was one of six Florida schools to face fake threats or swatting calls on Tuesday. Other universities targeted include Florida International University, Palm Beach Atlantic University, City College Hollywood, Broward College and Florida Atlantic University, according to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

There was no evidence or shot fires or any injuries, and the incident was later investigated as a hoax, according to Rebecca Vargas with WWSB.

Patch has reached out to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office. This article will be updated when the agency responds.