{
  "id": "2025-10-04-university-of-nebraska-omaha-criss-library-swatting",
  "slug": "university-of-nebraska-omaha-criss-library-swatting-2025-10-04",
  "institution": {
    "name": "University of Nebraska Omaha",
    "shortName": "UNO",
    "state": "NE",
    "type": "public-r2",
    "alertSystemName": "UNO Alert"
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2025-10-04",
    "type": "swatting",
    "cleryCategory": "emergency-notification",
    "headline": "Library swatting call of shots fired; police found no threat",
    "summary": "On Saturday, October 4, 2025, around 4:54 p.m., two 911 calls reported [shots fired with multiple people hurt at the University of Nebraska Omaha's Criss Library](https://www.wowt.com/2025/10/04/police-respond-swatting-call-an-university-nebraska-omaha-campus/). Omaha and university police flooded the building at 6401 University Drive but [found no victims, no gunfire, and no threat by about 5:22 p.m.](https://channel2now.com/2025/10/04/article/news/crime/omaha-police-respond-to-false-active-shooter-report-at-uno-criss-library-university-of-nebraska-omaha-6401-university-drive/), concluding it was a swatting call. It was a precursor to a [separate January 2026 explosive-device hoax at the same library](https://www.unomaha.edu/news/2026/01/criss-library-update.php).",
    "outcome": "No victims, evidence of gunfire, or active threat were found. By about 5:22 p.m. police determined the report was a swatting call. A joint campus police, OPD, and FBI investigation followed.",
    "resolution": "confirmed-hoax",
    "headlinePublic": "Library swatting call of shots fired; police found no threat"
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestampApprox": "Shortly after 4:54 p.m. CDT on Saturday, October 4, 2025",
      "channel": "sms",
      "verbatimText": "",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": false,
      "sourceDescription": "Reconstructed from WOWT, Channel 2 Now and Omaha World-Herald reporting on the swatting response",
      "annotations": []
    },
    {
      "sequence": 2,
      "type": "all-clear",
      "timestampApprox": "Around 5:22 p.m. CDT on Saturday, October 4, 2025",
      "channel": "sms",
      "verbatimText": "",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": false,
      "sourceDescription": "Reconstructed from Channel 2 Now reporting that police cleared the scene by about 5:22 p.m.",
      "annotations": []
    },
    {
      "sequence": 3,
      "type": "update",
      "timestampApprox": "Saturday, October 4, 2025, after the afternoon swatting response (Around 5 P.M. in the body)",
      "channel": "email",
      "verbatimText": "Our priority is always the safety of students, faculty, staff, and visitors on our campus.\n\n“Swatting” calls, or false reports intended to trigger a large law enforcement response, have occurred at hundreds of schools and universities across the country in recent years.\n\nEarlier today, our campus became the latest target of a swatting incident.\n\nAround 5 P.M., officers with the University of Nebraska Police and Public Safety Department (UNPPSD) and Omaha Police Department (OPD) responded to a “shots fired” call referencing Criss Library on UNO’s Dodge Campus. The call was initially received by Douglas County 911, who then notified UNPPSD Dispatch.\n\nIndividuals on or near campus today may have noticed a large police presence as both departments worked quickly to assess reports from on-scene officers and surveillance video. Both teams immediately verified no threat existed, and therefore, no emergency lockdown order was issued.\n\nUNPPSD and OPD are continuing to investigate the incident.\n\nI want to express my gratitude to students, faculty, staff, community members, OPD officers, UNPPSD officers, UNPPSD Dispatch, the Omaha Fire Department, and Douglas County 911 Dispatch for their quick action, support, and leadership.\n\nThank you,\n\nCharlotte Evans\nAssociate Vice Chancellor\nChief of Police\nUniversity of Nebraska Police and Public Safety Department",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.unomaha.edu/news/2025/10/swatting-call-update.php",
      "sourceDescription": "UNO News: message sent to students, faculty, and staff from Chief Charlotte Evans",
      "annotations": [
        "Official email embedded on UNO News under The following message was sent to UNO students, faculty, and staff.",
        "GROWTH NIGHT flip 2026-09-21. Dual-curl HTTP 200 byte-identical HTML 110631 sha256 41332f5b40599fe292d1f01254afa837993f9f8127fe79be7569abc16903e9f2 plus independent web_fetch. Product is the Charlotte Evans / Chief of Police email, not the reconstructed SMS. Curly quotes preserved. sha256 19814a00e2197f67f2d32fec68a09047e162485163fb6f8a7207389f470bbad7.",
        "Seq 1-2 reconstructed SMS remain unconfirmed; this product states no emergency lockdown order was issued."
      ],
      "characterCount": 1365,
      "confidence": "high",
      "lastUpdated": "2026-09-21"
    }
  ],
  "context": "The October 4, 2025 swatting hit the University of Nebraska Omaha (a public R2 in Omaha, Central Time) on a quiet Saturday afternoon. According to [WOWT](https://www.wowt.com/2025/10/04/police-respond-swatting-call-an-university-nebraska-omaha-campus/), Omaha Police and Fire were called around 5 p.m. to 6401 University Drive for a mass-casualty active-shooter report. [Channel 2 Now](https://channel2now.com/2025/10/04/article/news/crime/omaha-police-respond-to-false-active-shooter-report-at-uno-criss-library-university-of-nebraska-omaha-6401-university-drive/) reported two 911 calls came in around 4:54 p.m. claiming shots fired and multiple victims, with police clearing the scene by about 5:22 p.m. UNO posted a [swatting-call update](https://www.unomaha.edu/news/2025/10/swatting-call-update.php) confirming no threat, and the student newspaper [The Gateway tracked the ongoing joint investigation](https://www.unothegateway.com/news/criss-library-swatting-investigation-ongoing-university-police-provide-updates-and-student-reflects-on-campus-safety/article_c32093f0-020a-440a-b44f-c33b0b986058.html) with campus police, OPD, and the FBI. The same library would be evacuated again in January 2026 for a separate explosive-device email hoax, making Criss Library a repeated target.",
  "keyFindings": [
    "Two 911 calls around 4:54 p.m. CDT on October 4, 2025 falsely reported an active shooter with multiple victims at UNO's Criss Library",
    "Police found no victims or gunfire and cleared the scene by about 5:22 p.m. CDT",
    "UNO confirmed the report was a swatting call; a joint campus police, OPD, and FBI investigation followed",
    "Criss Library was targeted again in January 2026 by a separate explosive-device email hoax"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "Police respond to swatting call on University of Nebraska Omaha campus - WOWT",
      "url": "https://www.wowt.com/2025/10/04/police-respond-swatting-call-an-university-nebraska-omaha-campus/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Omaha Police Respond to False Active Shooter Report at UNO Criss Library - Channel 2 Now",
      "url": "https://channel2now.com/2025/10/04/article/news/crime/omaha-police-respond-to-false-active-shooter-report-at-uno-criss-library-university-of-nebraska-omaha-6401-university-drive/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Swatting Call Update - University of Nebraska Omaha",
      "url": "https://www.unomaha.edu/news/2025/10/swatting-call-update.php",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "Criss Library swatting investigation ongoing - The Gateway",
      "url": "https://www.unothegateway.com/news/criss-library-swatting-investigation-ongoing-university-police-provide-updates-and-student-reflects-on-campus-safety/article_c32093f0-020a-440a-b44f-c33b0b986058.html",
      "type": "student-newspaper"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "high",
  "tags": [
    "swatting",
    "emergency-notification",
    "nebraska",
    "criss-library",
    "active-shooter-hoax",
    "false-report",
    "fbi-investigation"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-05-28",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-09-21",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}