{
  "id": "2024-04-28-university-of-montana-swatting",
  "slug": "university-of-montana-swatting-2024-04-28",
  "institution": {
    "name": "University of Montana",
    "shortName": "UM",
    "state": "MT",
    "type": "public-r1",
    "alertSystemName": "UM Alert",
    "enrollment": 10000
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2024-04-28",
    "type": "swatting",
    "cleryCategory": "emergency-notification",
    "resolution": "confirmed-hoax",
    "headline": "Anonymous calls threatening a residence hall shooting determined to be a hoax",
    "headlinePublic": "Anonymous calls threatening a residence hall shooting determined to be a hoax",
    "summary": "On the evening of April 28, 2024, the University of Montana received two anonymous 911 calls threatening a shooting at Aber Hall, a residence hall on campus. The caller claimed gunfire could be heard in the background. UMPD placed the campus in secure mode for nearly two hours while law enforcement searched the building and surrounding area. No evidence of a shooting was found, and [UMPD Chief Brad Giffin declared the threat a hoax](https://www.montanakaimin.com/news/um-lifts-active-shooter-lockdown-umpd-chief-is-confident-threat-is-a-hoax/article_a39e9d8e-05d7-11ef-9b56-33f3bfc70277.html), consistent with an illegal swatting prank.",
    "outcome": "No injuries or evidence of any shooting. Campus secure mode was lifted at approximately 10:55 p.m. MDT on April 28, 2024, nearly two hours after the calls. The 911 call could not be traced. UMPD maintained an increased law enforcement presence overnight."
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestampApprox": "Evening of April 28, 2024, shortly after the anonymous 911 calls reported around 9 p.m. MDT",
      "channel": "email",
      "verbatimText": "",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": false,
      "annotations": []
    },
    {
      "sequence": 2,
      "type": "update",
      "timestamp": "2024-04-28T22:44:00-06:00",
      "channel": "email",
      "verbatimText": "(University police) in partnership with Missoula law enforcement continue to search the campus but have not found anything or received information to substantiate a threat.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://missoulian.com/news/local/um-lockdown-shooting-threat-police/article_e495c330-05dc-11ef-9938-ff814fc44bf6.html",
      "sourceDescription": "Missoulian quoting the 10:44 p.m. campus-wide UM Alert verbatim",
      "annotations": [
        "Sent at 10:44 p.m. MDT on April 28, 2024, this update told the campus that a search was underway but nothing had been found",
        "The Missoulian quoted the parenthetical '(University police)' exactly as it appeared in the alert, suggesting the alert used a specific abbreviation that the paper expanded for readers",
        "This update came late in the secure-mode period, before the formal all-clear"
      ],
      "characterCount": 172
    },
    {
      "sequence": 3,
      "type": "all-clear",
      "timestampApprox": "Approximately 10:55 p.m. MT, April 28, 2024",
      "channel": "email",
      "verbatimText": "",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": false,
      "sourceDescription": "Reconstructed from Missoulian and KPAX coverage of the all-clear announcement",
      "annotations": []
    }
  ],
  "context": "The [University of Montana](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Montana) in Missoula experienced a tense Sunday evening on April 28, 2024, when two anonymous 911 calls reported an active shooting at Aber Hall, one of the campus residence halls. The caller claimed gunfire could be heard in the background. UMPD immediately placed the campus in secure mode and, along with Missoula law enforcement, conducted a thorough search of Aber Hall and the surrounding campus. No evidence of any shooting or threat was found. UMPD Chief Brad Giffin told the [Montana Kaimin](https://www.montanakaimin.com/news/um-lifts-active-shooter-lockdown-umpd-chief-is-confident-threat-is-a-hoax/article_a39e9d8e-05d7-11ef-9b56-33f3bfc70277.html) student newspaper that he was confident the incident was a hoax, consistent with the illegal practice of [swatting](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swatting), where individuals make false reports of serious crimes to provoke a heavy law enforcement response. The 911 call could not be traced back to identify the caller. The timing of the incident was notable: a Gabriel Iglesias comedy show was wrapping up at the Adams Center, and attendees were informed of the situation as they exited around 10:20 p.m. MDT. This incident occurred during a broader national wave of swatting attacks targeting college campuses in 2024, which tested emergency notification systems across the country.",
  "keyFindings": [
    "UM used 'secure mode' terminology rather than 'lockdown,' reflecting the university's tiered emergency language",
    "The swatting call included fabricated background gunfire audio, a common tactic in coordinated swatting attacks",
    "A large public event (comedy show at Adams Center) complicated the emergency response by requiring separate notification of attendees",
    "The 911 call could not be traced, highlighting the challenge of holding swatting perpetrators accountable"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "UM lifts active shooter lockdown, UMPD chief is confident threat is 'a hoax' (Montana Kaimin)",
      "url": "https://www.montanakaimin.com/news/um-lifts-active-shooter-lockdown-umpd-chief-is-confident-threat-is-a-hoax/article_a39e9d8e-05d7-11ef-9b56-33f3bfc70277.html",
      "type": "student-newspaper"
    },
    {
      "title": "Campus operations return to normal following UM shooting threat (Missoulian)",
      "url": "https://missoulian.com/news/local/um-lockdown-shooting-threat-police/article_e495c330-05dc-11ef-9938-ff814fc44bf6.html",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Heavy police presence Sunday at University of Montana following threats (KPAX)",
      "url": "https://www.kpax.com/news/heavy-police-presence-will-continue-at-the-university-of-montana-campus-throughout-the-night",
      "type": "local-media"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "medium",
  "tags": [
    "swatting",
    "hoax",
    "montana",
    "active-shooter-hoax",
    "residence-hall",
    "lockdown",
    "missoula",
    "secure-mode"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-04-04",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-07-16",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}