Armed shooter reports at Georgia universities appear to be a hoax, officials say

Caroline Silva, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Aug 29, 2025

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ATLANTA — Reports of an armed shooter at the University of Georgia and Clark Atlanta University seem to point toward a hoax, officials said Friday.

A university alert at UGA, which was sent via text and posted on X around 8:50 p.m. Friday, informed students and staff about an “armed shooter in the area of Main Library.” The main library is located along South Jackson Street.

About 40 minutes later, school officials provided some relief: “Police are on scene at Library, evidence suggests a hoax.”

University spokesperson Rod Guajardo told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that UGA police received a call about a shooter in the area and quickly responded. A preliminary investigation suggests there was no real threat, but officers remain in the vicinity investigating and collecting evidence.

The area around north campus, where the main library is located, was quiet, with only a few university police officers seen in a parking lot behind the building. Roads surrounding the area were not blocked off.

Athens-Clarke County police were assisting with the investigation.

At Clark Atlanta University, school officials said reports of an active shooter appeared to be inaccurate, but a shelter-in-place order was in effect out of caution, according to media reports.

The GBI and FBI Atlanta are looking into a recent rise of unfounded threats that have targeted various sites, often educational institutions.

“The GBI is aware of these incidents and the nationwide trend by online threat actors to disrupt schools with these swatting incidents,” agency spokesperson Lydia Bullard told the AJC earlier this week.

Students at High Point Elementary School in Fulton County had to be relocated to Ridgeview Middle School on Thursday after an emailed bomb threat, district officials said. Nothing was located at the school.

On Wednesday, around 11:30 a.m., a spokesperson with Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta said their Hughes Spalding hospital in downtown Atlanta received a bomb threat. The situation led to Georgia State University staff and students receiving a notification, but a school official confirmed there was no threat to campus.

Around the same time, students at Mercer University in Macon were ordered to shelter in place after Bibb County’s 911 center received a threatening call. The nature of the threat was not divulged, but a school spokesperson said a threat was not found by law enforcement who swept the campus.

Also, Central Georgia Technical College in Macon went on lockdown Tuesday after a 911 call about an active shooter, authorities said.

(Staff writer Alexis Stevens contributed to this report.)