Man, 39, identified as suspect in apparent swatting call at Kansas community college
A 39-year-old man was arrested in connection with a false active shooter call at Garden City Community College Thursday morning.
Alejandro Salazar was booked into the Finney County Jail suspicion of aggravated criminal threat, giving a false alarm and interference with law enforcement officers, a news release from the Garden City Police Department said.
Erinn Reyes, a spokesperson for the Garden City Police Department, said police suspected the report might have been an instance of swatting — a hoax call made to elicit a police response.
A call at about 8 a.m. alerted the Garden City Community College Police Department to a possible armed intruder in the college’s Saffell Library, the release said.
The campus was placed on lockdown and employees and students were told to shelter in place or evacuate the campus if they could. The college, about 215 miles west of Wichita, counts about 1,920 students, according to the Kansas Board of Regents.
Investigators determined that Salazar went to the library and told an employee there was active shooter inside the library and then indicated the shooter was outside, police said.
Salazar was detained in the library while law enforcement officers from multiple agencies searched the campus for roughly 4 1/2 hours. No armed person or victims were found and the scene was cleared by 12:30 p.m.
“No threats to the students, staff, or campus were discovered, however, a suspect has been arrested and charged with aggravated criminal threat,” the college’s police department said in the news release. “There were no injuries during the event.”
The college was released from its lock down and classes and business operations were dismissed for the day. During the initial response to the possible active shooter, nearby schools and day cares were placed in lockdown as a precaution.
“It was determined that Salazar falsely indicated there was an active shooter,” the news release said. “The motive behind the incident is unknown, and the investigation is ongoing.”
Other agencies that responded to the call included the Finney County Sherrif’s Office, Kansas Highway Patrol, Finney County Emergency Management, Garden City Fire Department and Emergency Medical Service and state and federal officials.
The college was offering counseling services for those who needed them. Normal operations were expected to resume Friday morning.
Contributing: Robert A. Cronkleton of the Kansas City Star