Conn. university on lockdown; SWAT team swarms campus

Central Connecticut State University issued an emergency alert on Monday, placing a lockdown on its campus and urging students to remain in place after reports that a suspicious person carrying a gun was spotted on campus.

"Campus emergency," CCSU wrote on its Twitter feed shortly after 12:15 p.m. "Seek shelter. Lock doors, close windows. We will communicate when we have more info. This is not a drill. #ccsu"

CCSU officials also issued similar alerts over the campus loudspeakers.

CBS local affiliate WFSB-TV reported that two people had been taken into custody, but there was no official confirmation from law enforcement officials. WFSB reported that the two were charged with breach of the peace.

Police and SWAT team members swarmed the 55-acre New Britain, Conn., campus, but quickly focused on James Hall, a dormitory on the campus' southwestern side. Police dogs could be seen entering the building.

About 11,000 students attend the school, according to its website. About 400 students live in the residence hall.

According to the school, officials are treating it as an "active shooter" situation and police are searching for "a suspicious person carrying a gun."

Earlier, NBC Connecticut and the Recorder, CCSU's student-run newspaper, reported that a suspect was "contained" but not in custody.

A spokesman for the school stressed that there were no shots fired, but would not elaborate on the nature of the threat. New Britain Mayor Tim O'Brien told reporters that there were no injuries.

According to one student who was interviewed by the network, police told him they were looking for a black male wearing camouflage pants and possibly a mask. The person was said to be armed, the student said police told him.

Another CCSU student said he saw a person matching that description get off a city bus and head in the direction of the campus carrying what appeared to be a samurai sword on his back. "I figured he was  wearing a Halloween costume," the student said. "I just went and parked my car and went to class."

The school issued a series of updates on its Twitter feed, but did not initially elaborate on the nature of the threat.

Meanwhile, shaken students took to social media to update friends, family and the media during the lockdown.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ccsu-lockdown-181443285.html
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