Campus Alert Archive
LSUA

Purgatory Strikes Again: Small Louisiana Campus Becomes One of Ten Universities Swatted in Five Days

LAswattingemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed HoaxDetermined to be a hoax. The institutional response is documented because it reveals how the alert system performed under a perceived real threat.

On August 24, 2025, Alexandria Police received a call reporting an active shooter on the LSUA campus at approximately 5:00 PM CDT, prompting a shelter-in-place order and a massive multi-agency law enforcement response. The report was quickly determined to be a hoax linked to the cybercriminal group Purgatory, which targeted more than 10 university campuses in a five-day span in August 2025.

Alerts
3
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
Louisiana State University of Alexandria
Public Bachelors · LA
~3,200 students
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

3 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTSMS
Approximate reconstruction184 chars
LSUA ALERT: Shelter in place immediately. Unverified report of an active shooter on campus. Law enforcement is responding. Stay away from windows and doors. Await further instructions.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed from local TV news coverage; LSUA issued a shelter-in-place alert after Alexandria Police received the unverified active shooter report
Multiple law enforcement agencies responded, including LSUA police, Rapides Parish Sheriff's Office, Alexandria Police Department, Louisiana State Police, and Woodworth and Lecompte police departments
Students at The Oaks residence hall were specifically instructed to shelter in place
UPDATESMS
Approximate reconstruction205 chars
LSUA UPDATE: Law enforcement has swept campus and found no evidence of a shooter or any credible threat. The situation is under control. Continue to shelter in place until the official all-clear is issued.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed from KALB reporting; around 6:30 PM, LSUA officials provided an unofficial briefing indicating no signs of a threat
Despite finding no evidence, the shelter-in-place remained in effect as law enforcement completed their sweep
The incident was part of a nationwide wave of swatting calls targeting university campuses during the week of August 21-25, 2025
ALL CLEARSMS
Approximate reconstruction189 chars
LSUA ALL CLEAR: The shelter-in-place order has been lifted. There is no threat to campus. The earlier report of an active shooter has been determined to be a hoax. Resume normal activities.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed from local news coverage confirming the all-clear and hoax determination
The all-clear came after a thorough multi-agency sweep of the campus
Analysts from the Center for Internet Security and Institute for Strategic Dialogue later linked this incident to the Purgatory swatting group
Context

Background

On August 24, 2025, Louisiana State University of Alexandria became one of more than 10 universities targeted by coordinated swatting calls over a five-day period. At approximately 5:00 PM CDT, Alexandria Police received an unverified report of an active shooter on the LSUA campus. A massive multi-agency law enforcement response ensued, with LSUA police, the Rapides Parish Sheriff's Office, Alexandria Police Department, Louisiana State Police, and Woodworth and Lecompte police departments all responding. Students at The Oaks residence hall were instructed to shelter in place. After a thorough campus sweep, no credible signs of a threat were found. The incident was attributed to the cybercriminal group calling itself Purgatory, which claimed responsibility for a wave of university swatting calls that began on August 21 at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and spread to campuses nationwide. In April 2026, a juvenile member of Purgatory was federally charged in connection with swatting calls to universities in Pennsylvania, including Villanova, during the same August 2025 wave.
Analysis

Key Findings

LSUA was one of more than 10 universities targeted by the Purgatory swatting group in a five-day span during August 2025
Six law enforcement agencies responded to the call, demonstrating the resource drain that a single swatting call creates in smaller communities
A juvenile Purgatory member was later federally charged for related swatting calls at other universities during the same coordinated campaign
Outcome
No credible threat was found. The incident was confirmed as part of a coordinated swatting campaign by the group Purgatory. A juvenile member of Purgatory was later charged federally in connection with similar swatting calls at universities.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Shelter in place at LSUA after report of threat on campus (KALB)
    kalb.com
  2. News
    LSUA students shaken but united after active shooter hoax (WALB)
    walb.com
  3. News
    Swatting Group Purgatory Linked to 10+ Hoax Active Shooter Calls (Daily Voice)
    komonews.com
  4. News
    Juvenile charged in August 2025 university swatting (Fox 43)
    fox43.com
Tags
swattingpurgatoryactive-shooter-hoaxlouisianapublic-universitymulti-agency-responsecybercriminal-groupcoordinated-campaignHoax
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion