COLUMBIA, S.C. — What turned into a full-blown campus panic at the University of South Carolina on Sunday night ended with an unusual explanation: the “gunman” many feared was actually carrying an umbrella.
The confusion began around 6:30 p.m. when USC’s Carolina Alert system sent out an urgent warning about a possible active shooter at the Thomas Cooper Library. Students were told to evacuate, shelter in place, and “barricade themselves if necessary.”
Within minutes, police swarmed the scene and began a floor-by-floor search of the library. Students ran for safety, some sustaining minor injuries during the evacuation.
Viral Video Fuels Panic
Adding fuel to the fire, a video quickly spread online showing a man walking across campus in a green shirt, black shorts, and a backpack, holding what many believed was a long rifle.
But closer inspection — and confirmation from police — showed the “rifle” was nothing more than a folded umbrella.
The OSINTdefender account on X (formerly Twitter) posted the clip with the caption:
“A video claimed to show the active shooter at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, carrying what some are claiming to be a long-rifle (looks more like an umbrella to me)… If this guy carrying an umbrella is what caused people to think there was an active shooter, that would be beyond stupid. Update: That’s exactly what happened.”
USC Issues All-Clear
By 8 p.m., USC officials announced there was “no ongoing emergency.” Police found no evidence of gunfire, shell casings, or any armed suspect.
University spokesman Jeff Stensland said the alert had been issued “out of an abundance of caution” but admitted the scare was triggered by the umbrella sighting.
Two people were treated for minor injuries related to the evacuation, not gunfire.
A Growing Trend of False Alarms
The USC incident comes just days after similar false shooter reports rattled campuses at Villanova University in Pennsylvania and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, prompting lockdowns and widespread fear.
At Villanova, a 911 caller falsely claimed there was a shooter inside a law school building. At Chattanooga, students were told to “Run. Hide. Fight” before police declared the threat a hoax.
The Bottom Line
For USC’s 38,000 students, the scare was all too real until the all-clear came. In the end, the “gunman” wasn’t armed at all — just a pedestrian with an umbrella.
