'There is No Active Shooter' at Suffolk County Community College: Police

RIVERHEAD, NY — Reports of a gunman on Suffolk County Community College's eastern campus in Riverhead Monday were "false," police said.

According to Southampton Police Sgt. Jim Cavanaugh, "There is no active shooter."

Instead, Cavanaugh said although details were unclear and he was not sure of the exact circumstances, it initially appeared there had been some sort of disagreement between two individuals and one may have said they'd shoot the other, leading to a 911 call.

Suffolk County Community College Communications Director Drew Biondo released a statement just after 2 p.m. that said it was "all clear" and reports of an active shooter were "unfounded. At approximately 2 p.m. Suffolk County Community College’s Public Safety Office was notified of a possible individual with a gun in a ladies' rest room in the Eastern Campus’ Shinnecock Building. The campus was locked down and individuals told to shelter in place. Police responded and cleared the scene. No gun was found. All classes and activities are resuming."

But for students on campus, the situation was very frightening, said Janet Hands, whose daughter, Shannon, 19, texted her to tell her about the threat. "She was terrified," she said.

Shannon, a psychology major, told Patch students were told there was "an active shooter," on campus; the alleged shooter was a young woman, she said; rumors were swirling that she had a weapon, she said.

"I was in the middle of my art class when it happened," Shannon said. School administrators, she said, "Told us either to go into a separate room or to get under desks. We had to close the blinds and stay away from windows and doors."

Shannon said her mom was "freaking out" and she, herself, was "scared." She was thankful, however, that the alleged shooter was at a different part of campus, the Orient and the Shinnecock buildings, and not near her classroom.

Of the mood on campus after the scare, Shannon said, "Everyone is in a little bit of shock right now but things are starting to calm down."

Vivica Spinelli, a paralegal major, was also in class in the Corchaug Building during the reported incident. "I walked into class and the lecture started when it was announced over the intercom, 'This is not a drill, take shelter. This is not a drill.'"

She added, "Our professor was very calm and everyone in class followed his example and calmly worked together. Then everyone started to engage with their cell phones. There was definitely a nervous quiet in the room. I texted my kids and told them I loved them more than life, texted my neighbor that there was a lockdown, and then called my insurance company to update my beneficiary information."

No one knew exactly what was happening, Spinelli said.

"With all of the political hostility since the election results, you really don't know what people will do or what to expect. Several of my classmates expressed that they didn't like feeling helpless or unable to protect themselves in this kind of situation. It left a lot of students questioning the impact this will have in the future on college campuses and what could be done in similar situations, going forward," she said.

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