{
  "id": "2024-08-28-university-of-pittsburgh-swatting",
  "slug": "university-of-pittsburgh-swatting-2024-08-28",
  "institution": {
    "name": "University of Pittsburgh",
    "shortName": "Pitt",
    "state": "PA",
    "type": "public-r1",
    "alertSystemName": "Emergency Notification Service (ENS)",
    "enrollment": 34000
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2024-08-28",
    "type": "swatting",
    "cleryCategory": "emergency-notification",
    "resolution": "confirmed-hoax",
    "headline": "Hoax rifle report at the law school; building cleared within about 20 minutes",
    "headlinePublic": "Hoax rifle report at the law school; building cleared within about 20 minutes",
    "summary": "On August 28, 2024, a hoax caller reported a person with an AR-style rifle at the [Barco Law Building](https://pittnews.com/article/196605/breaking/police-respond-to-unconfirmed-reports-of-an-armed-person-at-barco-law-school/) on the University of Pittsburgh campus. Pitt ENS issued an alert at 12:28 PM EDT, and police [cleared the building within 21 minutes](https://www.utimes.pitt.edu/news/hoax-call-about-shooter). The incident was part of a nationwide wave of swatting attacks linked to the cybercriminal group Purgatory.",
    "outcome": "Police determined the report was not credible within approximately 20 minutes. No weapon, no shooter, no injuries found. The incident was linked to the Purgatory swatting group, which targeted at least 10 U.S. universities between August 21 and 28, 2024.",
    "casualties": {
      "killed": 0,
      "injured": 0
    }
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestamp": "2024-08-28T12:28:00-04:00",
      "channel": "sms",
      "verbatimText": "Pitt E.N.S. Alert: UPPD and City police on scene at Barco Law School for an unconfirmed report of an armed person.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.facebook.com/pittpolice/posts/pitt-ens-alert-uppd-and-city-police-on-scene-at-barco-law-school-for-an-unconfir/1204701015020313/",
      "sourceDescription": "Pitt Police official Facebook post of Pitt ENS alert",
      "annotations": [
        "Verbatim text from the Pitt Police Facebook archive of the ENS alert",
        "The alert was sent at 12:28 PM EDT, approximately 8 minutes after the initial 911 call was received by Pittsburgh police",
        "Students were evacuated from the building by law enforcement officers around 12:45 PM EDT"
      ],
      "characterCount": 114
    },
    {
      "sequence": 2,
      "type": "all-clear",
      "timestamp": "2024-08-28T12:49:00-04:00",
      "channel": "sms",
      "verbatimText": "Police have cleared the Barco Law Building. No credible threat. Resume normal activity.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/university-of-pittsburgh-evacuates-students-from-law-school-after-alert-of-unconfirmed-armed-person/521-60fd781e-e84e-483f-9d14-da7f673085dc",
      "sourceDescription": "Fox43/WPXI quotation of Pitt ENS all-clear alert",
      "annotations": [
        "Verbatim text from the all-clear ENS alert posted at 12:49 PM EDT",
        "The all-clear came 21 minutes after the initial alert. During the April 2023 Hillman Library swatting incident, by comparison, about 82 minutes elapsed between the first call and Pitt's first emergency notification",
        "Police confirmed no weapon was found and no shots had been fired"
      ],
      "characterCount": 87
    }
  ],
  "context": "On August 28, 2024, Pittsburgh police received a call from someone claiming to be hiding in a closet at the [Barco Law Building on Pitt's campus](https://pittnews.com/article/196605/breaking/police-respond-to-unconfirmed-reports-of-an-armed-person-at-barco-law-school/), reporting a person with an AR-style rifle and claiming to hear gunfire. Pitt ENS issued an alert at 12:28 PM EDT, approximately 8 minutes after the first report. University of Pittsburgh Police and City of Pittsburgh police responded immediately, and students were [evacuated from the building around 12:45 PM EDT](https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/university-of-pittsburgh-evacuates-students-from-law-school-after-alert-of-unconfirmed-armed-person/521-60fd781e-e84e-483f-9d14-da7f673085dc). By 12:49 PM EDT, police had [cleared the building and confirmed no credible threat](https://www.utimes.pitt.edu/news/hoax-call-about-shooter). The incident was part of a [nationwide wave of swatting attacks](https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/crime/3786367/multiple-colleges-experience-shooting-hoaxes/) that began on August 21 at Villanova University and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. A report by the Center for Internet Security and the Institute for Strategic Dialogue attributed the attacks to the cybercriminal group Purgatory, which used Google Voice services and played gunshot sounds during calls. In 2024 Pitt's initial alert went out about 8 minutes after the first call, and police cleared the building within 21 minutes. During a similar [swatting incident at Hillman Library in April 2023](https://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2023/04/11/university-of-pittsburgh-hoax-shooter-hillman-library-police/stories/202304110068), about 82 minutes elapsed between the first 911 call and Pitt's first emergency notification, prompting the university to review its notification system.",
  "keyFindings": [
    "Pitt's emergency notification went out about 8 minutes after the first call in 2024; during the April 2023 Hillman Library swatting incident, about 82 minutes elapsed between the first call and the first notification",
    "The incident was attributed to the Purgatory swatting group, which targeted at least 10 U.S. universities in one week",
    "The hoax caller fabricated detailed claims, including hiding in a closet, an AR-style rifle, and gunfire sounds"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "Police respond to unconfirmed reports of an armed person at Barco Law School (The Pitt News)",
      "url": "https://pittnews.com/article/196605/breaking/police-respond-to-unconfirmed-reports-of-an-armed-person-at-barco-law-school/",
      "type": "student-newspaper"
    },
    {
      "title": "Hoax call about shooter at law school among several at U.S. universities (University Times)",
      "url": "https://www.utimes.pitt.edu/news/hoax-call-about-shooter",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "Pitt Police Facebook archive of August 28, 2024 ENS Alert",
      "url": "https://www.facebook.com/pittpolice/posts/pitt-ens-alert-uppd-and-city-police-on-scene-at-barco-law-school-for-an-unconfir/1204701015020313/",
      "type": "official-social"
    },
    {
      "title": "University of Pittsburgh: 'No credible threat' after alert (Fox 43)",
      "url": "https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/university-of-pittsburgh-evacuates-students-from-law-school-after-alert-of-unconfirmed-armed-person/521-60fd781e-e84e-483f-9d14-da7f673085dc",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Multiple colleges experience shooting hoaxes (Washington Examiner)",
      "url": "https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/crime/3786367/multiple-colleges-experience-shooting-hoaxes/",
      "type": "local-media"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "high",
  "tags": [
    "swatting",
    "pennsylvania",
    "purgatory-group",
    "hoax",
    "law-school",
    "public-university"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-05-03",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-05-03",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}