Campus Alert Archive
Highline

Eight Phantom Gunshots Lock Down Highline College for Two Hours

WAswattingemergency notificationmedium confidence
UnfoundedNo evidence of an actual threat was found. The institutional response is documented because the alert communication is identical to what would occur during a real incident.

On the morning of February 16, 2018, 911 callers reported hearing roughly eight gunshots near Highline College in Des Moines, Washington, triggering a roughly two-hour campus lockdown and a massive multi-agency response. After searching the campus, police found 'zero evidence' of any shooting and lifted the lockdown around 11:40 a.m.

Alerts
3
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
Highline College
Community College · WA
~17,000 students
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

3 messages in sequence · 3 verified verbatim

INITIAL ALERTsocial-media
Verified verbatimPatch (Across Washington) quoting Highline College's official Facebook lockdown post verbatim127 chars
This is not a drill. Close doors, close windows. Police are responding to campus. Do not come to campus if you are on your way.
The first 911 call reporting about eight gunshots came in at 8:52 a.m. PST, and the campus went into lockdown at 8:57 a.m., according to the Seattle Times.
Highline pushed lockdown instructions through Facebook as a primary channel — this first post both ordered shelter and warned commuters not to approach campus.
Highline's main campus hosts roughly 5,000 people on a typical weekday, so the lockdown instruction had to reach a large, dispersed community-college population quickly.
UPDATEsocial-media
Verified verbatimPatch (Across Washington) quoting Highline College's official Facebook follow-up lockdown post verbatim175 chars
Remain in lockdown - This is not a drill All Buildings need to remain in lockdown. Barricade doors and windows. Police are responding and we will have further details shortly.
Verbatim from Highline's follow-up Facebook post; the run-on phrasing 'This is not a drill All Buildings' is preserved exactly as posted.
The post escalated to a barricade instruction as three SWAT teams, the FBI, and ATF responded.
Highline's reliance on social media for real-time updates reflects how community colleges with large commuter populations use public-facing channels alongside internal alerts.
ALL CLEARSMS+2h 43m
Verified verbatimNorthwest Public Broadcasting (NWPB) and CNN reporting quoting the verbatim Highline College official Facebook all-clear post issued approximately 11:40 a.m. PST on February 16, 2018337 chars
The emergency condition is over and law enforcement have given the all clear. The campus is closed for the remainder of the day, February 16. Please obey instructions from traffic officers and we appreciate patience as people are leaving the campus. Parents can still re-unify with students at Lowes parking lot at 24050 Pacific Highway.
Verbatim text from Highline College's official Facebook all-clear post, confirmed in Northwest Public Broadcasting and CNN coverage of the incident; the lockdown was lifted around 11:40 a.m. PST
The specific family reunification instructions (Lowes parking lot at 24050 Pacific Highway) are characteristic of community-college emergency protocols aimed at the large commuter and off-campus parent population
The roughly two-hour gap between the 8:57 a.m. lockdown and the 11:40 a.m. lift reflects the time needed for SWAT teams to clear a multi-building campus with no located shooter
Context

Background

Highline College is a community college in Des Moines, Washington, just south of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. On February 16, 2018, several 911 callers reported hearing gunshots near campus just before 9 a.m., prompting an immediate lockdown. About a dozen agencies and three SWAT teams responded, along with the FBI and ATF, in a response that drew national coverage. After a methodical search, police announced they had found 'zero evidence' of any shooting and lifted the lockdown around 11:40 a.m. The episode is an example of how unverified gunfire reports — whether mistaken sounds, fireworks, or deliberate false reports — can shut down a campus of thousands for hours. Local coverage noted the conflicting accounts and that the cause was never conclusively established.
Analysis

Key Findings

Highline locked down at 8:57 a.m. PST, five minutes after the first 911 call reporting about eight gunshots, and lifted the lockdown around 11:40 a.m.
A dozen agencies and three SWAT teams responded, illustrating the scale of mobilization that unverified gunfire reports can trigger at a community college
Police found no shell casings, bullet holes, or any physical evidence of a shooting; the cause was never confirmed
The two-hour lockdown of a 5,000-person daily campus shows the operational cost of shots-fired reports that cannot be quickly verified or ruled out
Outcome
About a dozen law-enforcement and emergency agencies responded, including three SWAT teams and the FBI, ATF and Washington State Patrol. Officers found no shell casings, bullet holes or other evidence of gunfire. The cause of the reports was never determined; some accounts mentioned fireworks.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    After 911 calls and a lockdown at Highline College, police find 'zero evidence' of a shooting - The Seattle Times
    seattletimes.com
  2. News
    Officials: No active shooter at Highline College, all clear given - KING 5
    king5.com
  3. News
    Terror, Then Relief After Highline College Shooting False Alarm (Patch, Across Washington) — quotes the verbatim Facebook lockdown posts
    patch.com
  4. News
    No evidence of shooting found at locked-down college - CNN
    cnn.com
  5. News
    Police find no evidence of shooting at Highline College - Federal Way Mirror
    federalwaymirror.com
  6. News
    'All Clear' For Highline College After Lockdown Draws Large Emergency Response - Northwest Public Broadcasting
    nwpb.org
Tags
swattingshots-firedlockdowncommunity-collegewashingtondes-moinesunfoundedemergency-notificationUnfounded
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion