An unfounded shooting scare that left USC students and staff shaken Monday was triggered by a faculty member, who's accused of falsely telling her students that there was an "active shooter" in one of the buildings on campus, the university reported.
The university issued an alert urging students and staff to shelter in place or avoid the area of 610 Childs Way on the University Park Campus. University officials said shots were reported but not confirmed.
Aerial images showed officers swarming the building and students evacuating and gathering on street corners.
Officers searched Fertitta Hall at the Marshall School of Business about 12:15 p.m. Forty-five minutes later, after authorities conducted an initial search of buildings, the LAPD reported that there had been no shooting and there was "no danger to the community."
According to USC Department of Public Safety Chief John Thomas, the school took the action after receiving reports that "a faculty member during class falsely told her students there was an active shooter in the building. The faculty member has been detained by the LAPD."
The university withheld the name of the faculty member who was detained.
The incident came a day after a gunman killed 59 people and wounded hundreds more at an outdoor concert in Las Vegas, in what's become the deadliest shooting in modern U.S. history.
