WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – The University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) has canceled all classes on Friday, Sept. 19, following false reports of a gunman on campus Thursday.
At 11:40 p.m. on Thursday, UNCW sent an update on class cancellations and school operations for Friday.
“In an abundance of caution, UNCW will cancel classes on Friday, Sept. 19, and all assignments and exams are postponed. Students in fully online programs should consult with their instructors about how this may impact their courses,” the update stated. “The UNCW Library will be closed on Friday, but the Campus Recreation Center, campus dining services, and campus shuttle services are operational, but may have reduced hours.”
The most recent update also included the following statement:
The school was on lockdown for several hours on Sept. 18 due to unconfirmed reports that someone with a gun was on campus until police announced the threat was a false alarm.
UNCW gave the all-clear at around 9:50 p.m. on Thursday, and an alert through its mobile app confirmed that the incident was a false alarm.
“This is an all-clear message from UNCW Alert,” the alert stated. “No active attacker on campus.”
Law enforcement spent nearly three hours sweeping the campus, with students locked down in their dorms, but didn’t find anything.
UNCW Police Chief Frank Brinkley told WECT that there was never a shooter on campus and that everyone on the UNCW campus is safe.
“These reports were investigated thoroughly and found to be untrue. We continue to conduct our reviews of the information and the sources it came from, and we’ll provide more details in the coming days. We absolutely hate this happened to our campus and impacted our campus community in such a negative way,” Chief Brinkley said.
UNCW officials said they will provide students and staff with another update at 8:30 a.m. on Friday.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE:
A WECT crew at the scene has spotted multiple law enforcement units on campus.
“UPD is taking these claims seriously and is investigating,” UPD wrote in a UNCW alert.
Law enforcement is currently sweeping the campus, according to a university spokesperson.
Students are advised to seek shelter indoors, close windows and doors until the lockdown is lifted.
,
Copyright 2025 WECT. All rights reserved.