{ "id": "2023-04-13-collin-college-swatting", "slug": "collin-college-swatting-2023-04-13", "institution": { "name": "Collin College", "shortName": "Collin", "state": "TX", "type": "community-college", "alertSystemName": "CougarAlert", "enrollment": 60000 }, "incident": { "date": "2023-04-13", "type": "swatting", "cleryCategory": "emergency-notification", "resolution": "confirmed-hoax", "headline": "Plano Campus lockdown after false active-assailant report", "summary": "Collin College locked down Plano Campus after a false active-assailant report. The district [published presidential statements](https://www.collin.edu/news/2023/04/13/statement-false-report-of-active-assailant). Full text recovered.", "outcome": "No injuries occurred and no shooter was found. The Plano Campus was closed for the rest of April 13. Other Collin College campuses (Frisco, McKinney, Wylie, Allen) remained open. Investigators determined the same caller had targeted Texas A&M, Baylor, Texas Wesleyan, Del Mar College, Galen Nursing School, Tyler Junior College, and Lamar Tech that same morning.", "casualties": { "killed": 0, "injured": 0 }, "headlinePublic": "Plano Campus lockdown after false active-assailant report" }, "alerts": [ { "sequence": 1, "type": "update", "timestampApprox": "Official college statement recovered 2026-07-26", "channel": "website", "verbatimText": "Yesterday was a reminder that a typical day can quickly change when we received word of a possible active assailant at the Plano Campus.\n\nThe safety of our students, employees, and visitors is paramount, and the Plano Campus went into immediate lockdown. Upon investigation it was discovered to be a false report. An all clear was issued, but due to the trauma experienced by those on site we closed the Plano Campus for the rest of the day on Thursday and opened for normal operations on Friday, April 14.\n\nIn response to the events at the Plano Campus, we have scheduled counselors to be available to meet with individuals and groups. The counselors will be available to meet informally with individuals or small groups throughout the day in Room D134.These meetings will provide an opportunity to talk in confidence with a counselor. Anyone who feels impacted by this event is encouraged to meet there. Employees will be provided with information on typical responses to trauma, coping strategies, and ways to support each other as well.\n\nUPDATE 4/13 1:00pm Due to the disruption caused by today's events, classes at the Plano Campus only are cancelled for the rest of the day. Students may claim their belongings by entering through the east main entrance of the campus by the flagpoles.\n\nOn Thursday, April 13 Collin College officials were made aware of a possible assailant at the Plano Campus. The safety of our students, employees and visitors is paramount, and the Plano Campus went into immediate lockdown. Upon investigation it was discovered to be a false report. An all clear was issued and those remaining in the building were asked to evacuate. Classes and normal operations will resume at 1 p.m.", "isVerbatimConfirmed": true, "sourceUrl": "https://www.collin.edu/news/2023/04/13/statement-false-report-of-active-assailant", "sourceDescription": "Official college public statement", "annotations": [ "Verbatim from official college page; prior unconfirmed reconstructions replaced." ], "characterCount": 1711, "confidence": "high" } ], "context": "On the morning of April 13, 2023, [Plano Police received a hoax 911 call at 9:45 AM CDT](https://www.fox4news.com/news/collin-college-plano-campus-texas-wesleyan-university-evacuate-buildings-after-possible-swatting-call) reporting a mass shooting at Collin College's Plano Campus, the system's largest campus serving approximately 8,000 students. Plano police, Texas Department of Public Safety troopers, and federal officers ([more than 100 law enforcement officers in total](https://starlocalmedia.com/planocourier/hoax-call-plano-police-department-responds-to-hoax-call-indicating-mass-shooting-on-collin-colleges/article_7050379a-da12-11ed-8c23-537ecadf605f.html)) swarmed the campus and began evacuations just before 10 AM. The call was quickly determined to be a hoax. Despite the all-clear, [Collin College closed the Plano Campus for the rest of the day](https://www.collin.edu/news/2023/04/13/statement-false-report-of-active-assailant), explicitly citing 'trauma experienced by those on site.' The Plano Campus reopened for normal operations on Friday, April 14. Investigators quickly connected the Collin call to a [coordinated morning of Texas swatting calls](https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/texas-schools-false-active-shooter-reports/) that hit Texas A&M University in College Station, Baylor University in Waco, Texas Wesleyan in Fort Worth, Del Mar College in Corpus Christi, the Galen College of Nursing in San Antonio, Tyler Junior College, Lamar Institute of Technology in Beaumont, and Woodsboro ISD in Refugio County. Authorities believed [the same caller was responsible](https://www.dallasobserver.com/news/collin-college-in-plano-among-rash-of-swatting-incidents-in-texas-16353842/) for all the calls. The Collin College incident is significant for being one of the few community-college swattings in the April 2023 wave, which was otherwise dominated by R1 universities and elite private institutions, demonstrating that swatters were targeting accessible, large-enrollment campuses irrespective of institutional prestige.", "keyFindings": [ "Collin College was one of the few community colleges hit in the April 2023 swatting wave that otherwise targeted mostly R1 universities", "More than 100 law enforcement officers responded to the Plano Campus, an unusually large response for a community college", "Collin College kept the Plano Campus closed for the rest of the day even after the all-clear, explicitly citing student trauma", "Investigators connected the call to seven other Texas school swattings that same morning, all attributed to a single caller", "Other Collin College campuses (Frisco, McKinney, Wylie, Allen) remained open, indicating the targeting was specific to Plano" ], "sources": [ { "title": "Message from Collin College District President (Collin College Official)", "url": "https://www.collin.edu/news/2023/04/13/statement-false-report-of-active-assailant", "type": "official-archive", "accessDate": "2026-07-26" }, { "title": "Collin College Plano Campus, Texas Wesleyan among schools to get hoax mass shooting call (FOX4)", "url": "https://www.fox4news.com/news/collin-college-plano-campus-texas-wesleyan-university-evacuate-buildings-after-possible-swatting-call", "type": "local-media" }, { "title": "Collin College in Plano among several Texas schools to receive hoax 911 calls Thursday (WFAA)", "url": "https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/collin-college-plano-campus-police-response-hoax-911-call-incident/287-2858993d-6a92-4a02-b3b9-9865e9c1576f", "type": "local-media" }, { "title": "Collin College in Plano Among Rash of 'Swatting' Incidents in Texas (Dallas Observer)", "url": "https://www.dallasobserver.com/news/collin-college-in-plano-among-rash-of-swatting-incidents-in-texas-16353842/", "type": "local-media" }, { "title": "'HOAX CALL:' Plano Police respond to hoax call indicating mass shooting on Collin College's Plano campus (Plano Courier)", "url": "https://starlocalmedia.com/planocourier/hoax-call-plano-police-department-responds-to-hoax-call-indicating-mass-shooting-on-collin-colleges/article_7050379a-da12-11ed-8c23-537ecadf605f.html", "type": "local-media" }, { "title": "Collin College, Texas Wesleyan hit by apparent 'hoax' active shooter reports (CBS Texas)", "url": "https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/texas-schools-false-active-shooter-reports/", "type": "local-media" } ], "confidence": "medium", "tags": [ "swatting", "collin-college", "community-college", "texas", "plano", "april-2023-swatting-wave", "coordinated-multi-school-attack", "trauma-informed-closure", "100-plus-officer-response", "suburban-campus" ], "dateAdded": "2026-05-03", "lastUpdated": "2026-07-26", "addedBy": "ingestion" }