Campus Alert Archive
UARK

Razorback Campus Locked Down After False Shooter Report as Purgatory Wave Reaches Arkansas

ARswattingemergency notificationhigh 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.

The University of Arkansas issued a campus-wide shelter-in-place on Monday, August 25, 2025, after a false report of an active shooter at Mullins Library. UAPD responded in force and cleared buildings before confirming the call was a swatting hoax. The incident was part of the broader Purgatory swatting wave targeting colleges nationwide.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
University of Arkansas
Public R1 · AR
~30,000 studentsRazALERT
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence · 2 verified verbatim

INITIAL ALERTSMS
Verified verbatimUniversity of Arkansas official @UArkansas X/Twitter post — RazALERT verbatim text122 chars
RazALERT Emergency Notification: Avoid the area of Mullins Library due to an active shooter reported. Avoid. Deny. Defend.
Sent at 12:27 PM CDT on August 25, 2025 — the first alert pinned the threat to Mullins Library specifically rather than campus-wide
'Avoid. Deny. Defend.' is the Texas State University ALERRT-derived active-shooter response framework taught widely to universities
Over the next two-plus hours, UAPD received 308 landline calls and more than 30 911 calls about reports at seven different buildings before declaring the incident a hoax
RazALERT is the University of Arkansas's emergency notification system
ALL CLEARSMS+2h 20m
Verified verbatimUniversity of Arkansas official @UArkansas X/Twitter post — RazALERT Update verbatim text247 chars
RazALERT Update: After investigating multiple reports, police have not confirmed any active threats on campus at this time. Avoid, deny, defend protocols have been lifted at this time while police continue to patrol campus, but please be vigilant.
Verbatim text from the official @UArkansas X post; this de-escalation message lifted 'avoid, deny, defend' protocols while police continued patrolling campus
The second RazALERT was issued approximately 2 hours and 20 minutes after the initial alert; this message maintains 'please be vigilant' rather than giving an unconditional all-clear
Classes were canceled for the rest of the day and resumed Tuesday, August 26, 2025
Context

Background

The University of Arkansas was targeted on Monday, August 25, 2025, as part of the Purgatory swatting wave that swept across U.S. college campuses in late August 2025. This was one of the most heavily-targeted swatting incidents in the wave: UAPD received 308 landline calls and more than 30 emergency 911 calls about reports of an active shooter at seven different campus buildings, all of which proved false. Fayetteville is home to the state's flagship university, and the false report caused significant disruption during the first week of fall classes. UAPD coordinated with local and federal law enforcement to confirm the hoax and restore normal operations. The same Monday saw simultaneous swatting calls at Iowa State, Kansas State, Villanova, UT Chattanooga, CU Boulder, Northern Arizona, and other universities.
Analysis

Key Findings

Part of the nationwide Purgatory wave that demonstrated swatting as a coordinated, multi-state threat
UAPD received 308 landline calls and more than 30 911 calls about an active shooter at seven different buildings — among the highest call volumes of any swatting incident in the August 2025 wave
The second RazALERT explicitly labeled the incident a hoax, a transparency choice not all institutions make
Classes were canceled for the rest of August 25, 2025, and resumed the following day
Outcome
Confirmed hoax. Shelter-in-place lifted after buildings cleared. No threat found. Investigation referred to federal authorities.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Official
    RazALERT Emergency Notification (University of Arkansas official X/Twitter)
    x.com
  2. Student Paper
    Active shooter reported on University of Arkansas campus near Mullins Library (Arkansas Traveler)
    uatrav.com
  3. Student Paper
    University of Arkansas Monday campus lockdown likely a 'swatting' incident (Arkansas Traveler)
    uatrav.com
  4. News
    Police say no evidence of shooter at University of Arkansas in Fayetteville (Arkansas Advocate)
    arkansasadvocate.com
  5. News
    Police swarm University of Arkansas on report of active shooter (NW Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)
    nwaonline.com
  6. News
    Swatting call leads to active shooter alert at University of Arkansas (Fox 23)
    fox23.com
Tags
swattinghoaxconfirmed-hoaxpurgatory-wavearkansasmullins-libraryaugust-25-2025-waveHoax
Added April 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion