Story Published:
Aug 31, 2010 at 12:39 PM CST
Story Updated:
Aug 31, 2010 at 1:33 PM CST
Note: This is a very preliminary report —some details may be premature. Corrections and more information will be reported as it becomes available.
Around 11:30 on Tuesday morning, Tennessee Tech University students received a text message that Johnson Hall was on lock down and was being evacuated.
Tennessee Tech students received two texts on their cell phones:
First text: "TTU: Lockdown in Johnson Hall after report of seeing person with bullets. Police searching building. No altercations or threats reported. Avoid area."
Second text: "Johnson Hall being evacuated while search continues. All classes in Johnson are canceled for 8/31. Avoid area until further notice."
The main story seems to be that a student using the restroom allegedly heard a sound like a gun clip being loaded with bullets. Apparently some of the bullets fell to the floor and the student viewed them under the wall of the stall.
The student reported this, and emergency measures were immediately implemented. The Tech Campus Police were apparently the first responders and the Cookeville Police Department rapidly deployed to the scene with precision and force.
One professor who was having class at the time said some police officers came into the classroom and looked at everyone’s shoes. Apparently the student who had seen the bullets on the floor in the restroom had noticed that the person with the bullets had on a particular brand of tennis shoe.
The professor said that everyone in his class cleared the shoe-check and then were told to exit the building.
The general mood of the students was that of somber but alert concern. Several lingered around the building anticipating that they might be soon going back to class (before 2nd text was sent).
After receiving the text, students began to leave Johnson Hall, realizing that classes would be out for a while as police and campus officials began the process of figuring out what happened.
