iStock/Thinkstock(COLUMBIA, S.C.) — Students were told to seek safe shelter Thursday at the University of South Carolina and the public health building was temporarily placed on lockdown after reports of a shooting, the school said.
The school issued an alert at 1:15 p.m. ET over its campus-wide emergency response system reporting that shots had been fired.
About an hour later, it followed up by saying that there was “no longer an existing threat on campus.”
The public health building and surrounding streets remain closed, but school officials have still not released any information about the nature of the threat.
Immediately after the initial warning, fire trucks were seen near the New School of Public Health as well as members of the Columbia police department.
Students inside the public health building, which was the only facility placed on a direct lock down, began posting to social media about the situation and sharing photos from inside.
Follow @ABCNewsRadio
Copyright © 2015, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
