Campus Alert Archive
Baylor

A Hoax Call About a Nonexistent 'ITS Building' Hit Baylor in a Statewide Swatting Wave

TXswattingemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed HoaxDetermined to be a hoax. The institutional response is documented because it reveals how the alert system performed under a perceived real threat.

Around 9:45 a.m. on April 13, 2023, Baylor Police responded to a call to Waco law enforcement alleging an active shooter and 23 people shot at an 'ITS building' on campus. Police quickly determined it was a hoax, helped by the fact that Information Technology Services has no single 'ITS building'. Baylor notified the community by text and email around 10 a.m. and did not order a shelter-in-place or evacuation. The call was one of several hoax calls hitting Texas campuses that morning and is now under federal investigation.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
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Institution
Baylor University
Private R2 · TX
~20,709 studentsBaylor Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTSMS
Approximate reconstruction148 chars
Baylor Alert: Baylor PD is investigating a report of an active shooter on campus. Early indications are this is a false report. Updates will follow.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed text: the Lariat reported Baylor sent a text and email around 10 a.m. about the false 911 call, but did not quote the message verbatim, so this is paraphrased and marked unconfirmed.
Waco is on Central Daylight Time (UTC-5) in April; the alert followed the ~9:45 a.m. hoax call.
Notably, Baylor did NOT order a shelter-in-place because security cameras and a fast response let officers rule out a shooter quickly.
ALL CLEARSMS
Approximate reconstruction127 chars
Baylor Alert: There is no active threat on campus. The earlier report has been confirmed as a hoax. Normal operations continue.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed all-clear paraphrasing the Lariat headline 'Baylor Alert: No active threat on campus'; the exact alert text was not quoted in available coverage.
This qualifies as an all-clear because it explicitly declares no active threat and confirms the hoax.
Context

Background

Baylor University, a large private Baptist research university in Waco, was caught in a coordinated wave of 'swatting' active-shooter hoax calls that struck multiple Texas campuses on the morning of April 13, 2023. The call to Baylor claimed an active shooter and 23 people shot at an 'ITS building' — a building that does not exist, since Information Technology Services is spread across campus, which helped investigators recognize the hoax. The student-run Baylor Lariat published a "Baylor Alert: No active threat on campus" update, and similar calls hit Collin College, Texas Wesleyan University, and Texas A&M that morning per KCEN. The wave later became a federal investigation.
Analysis

Key Findings

The hoax call referenced a nonexistent 'ITS building,' a geographic implausibility that helped Baylor PD recognize the report as false
Baylor deliberately did NOT order a shelter-in-place, relying on camera coverage and fast response to rule out a shooter
The Baylor call was part of a coordinated multi-campus Texas swatting wave that drew federal investigation
Outcome
Baylor and Waco police confirmed there was no shooting and no injuries; the report was a hoax. The university declined to lock down because its camera system and fast response confirmed no threat. The hoax wave became the subject of a federal investigation.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Active shooter threat at Baylor University a 'hoax' - KWTX
    kwtx.com
  2. Student Paper
    Baylor one of many schools affected by active shooter hoax across Texas, nation - The Baylor Lariat
    baylorlariat.com
  3. Student Paper
    Baylor Alert: No active threat on campus - The Baylor Lariat
    baylorlariat.com
  4. News
    'Active shooter' hoax calls come in at Baylor, multiple Texas college campuses - KCEN
    kcentv.com
Tags
swattingactive-shooter-hoaxbaptist-universitytexasmulti-campus-hoaxno-lockdownHoax
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion