{
  "id": "2025-08-26-university-of-kentucky-swatting",
  "slug": "university-of-kentucky-swatting-2025-08-26",
  "institution": {
    "name": "University of Kentucky",
    "shortName": "UK",
    "state": "KY",
    "type": "public-r1",
    "alertSystemName": "UK Alert",
    "alertPlatform": "Rave Mobile Safety",
    "enrollment": 33000
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2025-08-26",
    "type": "swatting",
    "cleryCategory": "emergency-notification",
    "resolution": "confirmed-hoax",
    "headline": "Library swatting call debunked by cameras within two minutes; no alert sent",
    "headlinePublic": "Library swatting call debunked by cameras within two minutes; no alert sent",
    "summary": "On August 26, 2025, the [University of Kentucky received a false active shooter report](https://www.lex18.com/news/covering-kentucky/university-of-kentucky-receives-false-active-shooter-report-amid-wave-of-campus-hoax) near the William T. Young Library. UKPD and Lexington Police [responded within two minutes](https://www.wkyt.com/2025/08/26/active-shooter-hoax-uk-comes-amid-national-surge/) and used the campus security camera system to determine the reports were a hoax. Notably, [no campus alert was issued](https://www.newsnationnow.com/us-news/mid-south/university-of-kentucky-active-shooter-hoax/) because the hoax was debunked so quickly. The incident was [part of the Purgatory swatting wave](https://www.newsweek.com/fbi-urges-public-remain-vigilant-amid-swatting-spike-colleges-universities-2119162).",
    "outcome": "Police used campus cameras to debunk the hoax within two minutes. No alert was sent. No injuries or threats were found. The FBI urged universities to 'remain vigilant.'"
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "follow-up",
      "timestampApprox": "Afternoon of August 26, 2025 EDT, after incident was determined a hoax",
      "channel": "twitter-x",
      "verbatimText": "At 12:12 p.m. today, @UKPolice and @lexkypolice responded to a false report about an active shooter near William T. Young Library. Police responded in less than two minutes and utilized the campus camera system to immediately determine that this report was a hoax.\n\nAs such, no UK Alerts were issued and community members did not need to take any action. Police are monitoring false reports of threats at universities across the country this week. The safety of our campus community is our top priority and we will continue to keep our community informed of safety updates.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://x.com/universityofky/status/1960384818861986265",
      "sourceDescription": "@universityofky on X (verbatim raw t.co)",
      "annotations": [
        "Posted from UK's official @universityofky account on August 26, 2025; the visible post text is truncated by X but the cited substance is verbatim",
        "Notable for citing the exact 12:12 PM EDT timestamp, the two-minute response, and explicit reference to the campus camera system as the verification tool",
        "The decision not to send a UK Alert mirrors Iowa State's same-week pattern; both schools used video confirmation to override the swatting script before any campus-wide notification",
        "This was UK's second alert-system-relevant incident in 10 months, following the October 2024 software malfunction false alert"
      ],
      "characterCount": 573
    }
  ],
  "context": "On August 26, 2025, the [University of Kentucky received a false active shooter report](https://www.lex18.com/news/covering-kentucky/university-of-kentucky-receives-false-active-shooter-report-amid-wave-of-campus-hoax) near the William T. Young Library. [WKYT reported](https://www.wkyt.com/2025/08/26/active-shooter-hoax-uk-comes-amid-national-surge/) that UKPD and Lexington Police responded within two minutes and used the campus security camera system to immediately determine the reports were a hoax. No campus alert was issued because the situation was resolved so quickly. [NewsNation](https://www.newsnationnow.com/us-news/mid-south/university-of-kentucky-active-shooter-hoax/) noted the incident was part of the national swatting surge, with similar calls following a template: a rifle-wielding suspect near a central campus building, sometimes with fake gunfire audio. [Newsweek](https://www.newsweek.com/fbi-urges-public-remain-vigilant-amid-swatting-spike-colleges-universities-2119162) reported that the FBI urged the public to 'remain vigilant' amid the swatting spike. [Lex18 covered student reactions](https://www.lex18.com/news/covering-kentucky/uk-students-react-to-campus-swatting-incident-as-fall-semester-begins) as the fall semester began. This was UK's second alert-related incident in 10 months, following the [October 2024 false alert malfunction](https://www.wkyt.com/2024/10/17/no-emergency-uk-says-alert-system-malfunctioned/).",
  "keyFindings": [
    "UK verified the hoax within about two minutes using its campus camera system, similar to Iowa State's approach the same week",
    "The decision not to send an alert mirrors Iowa State's August 25 no-alert decision; both used cameras to verify",
    "This was UK's second alert-system incident in 10 months, following the October 2024 software malfunction false alert"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "University of Kentucky receives false active shooter report (Lex18)",
      "url": "https://www.lex18.com/news/covering-kentucky/university-of-kentucky-receives-false-active-shooter-report-amid-wave-of-campus-hoax",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Active shooter hoax at UK amid national surge (WKYT)",
      "url": "https://www.wkyt.com/2025/08/26/active-shooter-hoax-uk-comes-amid-national-surge/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "University of Kentucky active shooter hoax (NewsNation)",
      "url": "https://www.newsnationnow.com/us-news/mid-south/university-of-kentucky-active-shooter-hoax/",
      "type": "national-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "FBI urges public to remain vigilant amid swatting spike (Newsweek)",
      "url": "https://www.newsweek.com/fbi-urges-public-remain-vigilant-amid-swatting-spike-colleges-universities-2119162",
      "type": "national-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "UK students react to campus swatting incident (Lex18)",
      "url": "https://www.lex18.com/news/covering-kentucky/uk-students-react-to-campus-swatting-incident-as-fall-semester-begins",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://x.com/universityofky/status/1960384818861986265",
      "title": "@universityofky on X",
      "type": "official-archive",
      "dateAccessed": "2026-07-18"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "medium",
  "tags": [
    "swatting",
    "no-alert-sent",
    "purgatory",
    "library",
    "kentucky",
    "camera-debunk",
    "2-minute-resolution",
    "fbi-warning"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-04-04",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-07-18",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}