A Spoofed Call About Washington Hall and a One-Hour Secure-In-Place

Monday, May 1, 2023VAswattingemergency 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.

At about 3:26 p.m. EDT on May 1, 2023, Radford University Police received a relayed call from Radford City Police about a threatening phone call referencing Washington Hall, a residence hall on the Virginia campus. Radford activated its Radford Alert system, telling the community to secure in place and avoid the building. Officers cleared Washington Hall and found no threat, issuing an all-clear at 4:26 p.m. EDT. Police described it as a swatting call.

Alerts: 2
Response: —
Killed: —
Injured: —

Institution

Radford University

Public Masters · VA

~7,000 studentsRadford Alert

Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 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 ALERTSMSShortly after 3:26 p.m. EDT on May 1, 2023

Approximate reconstruction110 chars

Radford Alert: Secure in place and avoid Washington Hall due to police activity. More information will follow.

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

Reconstructed wording marked unconfirmed; coverage reported that Radford initiated the Radford Alert system telling people to secure in place and avoid Washington Hall, but did not quote exact text.

Radford uses 'secure in place' rather than 'shelter in place,' a wording choice the university maintains in its emergency vocabulary and that appears in its public statements about the incident.

ALL CLEARSMSMay 1, 2023, 8:26 PM EDT

Approximate reconstruction151 chars

Radford Alert: All clear. The secure-in-place is lifted. Washington Hall was cleared and no threat was found. There is no current threat to the public.

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

Reconstructed wording marked unconfirmed; multiple outlets reported the all-clear was issued at 4:26 p.m. EDT but did not publish the exact text.

The clean one-hour window from the 3:26 p.m. call to the 4:26 p.m. all-clear is characteristic of a swatting response, where police clear the named building and quickly determine the threat was fabricated.

Context

Background

Radford University's own statement, reported by WSLS and WFXR, said that at approximately 3:26 p.m. EDT on Monday, May 1, 2023, the Radford University Police Department received a call from the Radford City Police Department about a threatening phone call referencing Washington Hall, a residence hall on the New River Valley campus. The university activated its Radford Alert system, directing the community to secure in place and avoid the building. NBC12 and WSLS follow-up reporting confirmed the all-clear came at 4:26 p.m. and that the incident was a swatting call — part of a wave of similar fake threats targeting universities that spring. No shots were fired and no threat was found. The verbatim Radford Alert text is not publicly archived, so the alert wording above is reconstructed and marked unconfirmed.

Analysis

Key Findings

A swatting call referencing a specific residence hall (Washington Hall) prompted a one-hour secure-in-place at Radford University

Radford's alerting vocabulary uses 'secure in place' rather than 'shelter in place,' reflected in both its messaging and public statements

The threat was fabricated — part of a 2023 wave of swatting calls against universities — and was cleared with no injuries

Verbatim Radford Alert text is not publicly archived, so alert wording is reconstructed and the case is logged at medium confidence

Outcome

Washington Hall was cleared with no threat found and no shots fired. The secure-in-place was lifted with an all-clear one hour after it began. The university worked with local, state and federal agencies to identify the caller.

Provenance

Sources

News
Radford University Police: Secure in place, now lifted, due to threatening 'swatting call' - WSLS
wsls.com
News
ALL CLEAR: Radford University secure-in-place lifted after 'spoof call' - WFXR
wfxrtv.com
News
Secure-in-place status lifted at Radford University; all-clear given - NBC12
nbc12.com
News
Radford University victim of fake call claiming an active shooter was on campus - WSLS
wsls.com

Alert Sequence

Background

Key Findings

Sources

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