Campus Alert Archive
Collin

100 Officers Swarm a Plano Community College: Same Caller Hit Eight Texas Schools That Morning

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.

On April 13, 2023, Plano police received a hoax 911 call at 9:45 AM CDT reporting a mass shooting at Collin College's Plano Campus. More than 100 law enforcement officers from Plano PD, DPS, and federal agencies evacuated the campus just before 10 AM. The Plano Campus was closed for the rest of the day due to trauma experienced by those on site, even after the call was confirmed as a hoax.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
Collin College
Community College · TX
~60,000 studentsCougarAlert
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 reconstruction230 chars
CougarAlert: Plano Campus is being evacuated due to a reported active shooter situation. Leave the campus immediately if you can do so safely. Otherwise, shelter in place, lock doors, and stay away from windows. Updates to follow.

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

The hoax call came in to Plano Police at 9:45 AM CDT on April 13, 2023
Collin College's Plano Campus serves approximately 8,000 students; the broader Collin College system serves about 60,000
The 100+ officer response from Plano PD, DPS, and federal agencies created an unusually visible police presence in suburban Plano
ALL CLEARSMS
Approximate reconstruction344 chars
CougarAlert: The reported active shooter at the Plano Campus has been determined to be a false report. Plano Police have cleared the campus. Out of consideration for those on site who experienced this traumatic event, the Plano Campus will remain closed for the remainder of today. Other Collin College campuses are open and operating normally.

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

The decision to close the Plano Campus for the remainder of the day — even after the all-clear — explicitly cited the trauma experienced by those on site
Other Collin College campuses (Frisco, McKinney, Wylie, Allen) remained open, suggesting the decision was specifically about the affected community
The Plano Campus reopened for normal operations on Friday, April 14
Context

Background

On the morning of April 13, 2023, Plano Police received a hoax 911 call at 9:45 AM CDT reporting a mass shooting at Collin College's Plano Campus, the system's largest campus serving approximately 8,000 students. Plano police, Texas Department of Public Safety troopers, and federal officers — more than 100 law enforcement officers in total — swarmed the campus and began evacuations just before 10 AM. The call was quickly determined to be a hoax. Despite the all-clear, Collin College closed the Plano Campus for the rest of the day, explicitly citing 'trauma experienced by those on site.' The Plano Campus reopened for normal operations on Friday, April 14. Investigators quickly connected the Collin call to a coordinated morning of Texas swatting calls that hit Texas A&M University in College Station, Baylor University in Waco, Texas Wesleyan in Fort Worth, Del Mar College in Corpus Christi, the Galen College of Nursing in San Antonio, Tyler Junior College, Lamar Institute of Technology in Beaumont, and Woodsboro ISD in Refugio County. Authorities believed the same caller was responsible for all the calls. The Collin College incident is significant for being one of the few community-college swattings in the April 2023 wave, which was otherwise dominated by R1 universities and elite private institutions, demonstrating that swatters were targeting accessible, large-enrollment campuses irrespective of institutional prestige.
Analysis

Key Findings

Collin College was one of the few community colleges hit in the April 2023 swatting wave that otherwise targeted mostly R1 universities
More than 100 law enforcement officers responded to the Plano Campus, an unusually large response for a community college
Collin College kept the Plano Campus closed for the rest of the day even after the all-clear, explicitly citing student trauma
Investigators connected the call to seven other Texas school swattings that same morning, all attributed to a single caller
Other Collin College campuses (Frisco, McKinney, Wylie, Allen) remained open, indicating the targeting was specific to Plano
Outcome
No injuries occurred and no shooter was found. The Plano Campus was closed for the rest of April 13. Other Collin College campuses (Frisco, McKinney, Wylie, Allen) remained open. Investigators determined the same caller had targeted Texas A&M, Baylor, Texas Wesleyan, Del Mar College, Galen Nursing School, Tyler Junior College, and Lamar Tech that same morning.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Official
    Message from Collin College District President (Collin College Official)
    collin.edu
  2. News
    Collin College Plano Campus, Texas Wesleyan among schools to get hoax mass shooting call (FOX4)
    fox4news.com
  3. News
    Collin College in Plano among several Texas schools to receive hoax 911 calls Thursday (WFAA)
    wfaa.com
  4. News
    Collin College in Plano Among Rash of 'Swatting' Incidents in Texas (Dallas Observer)
    dallasobserver.com
  5. News
    'HOAX CALL:' Plano Police respond to hoax call indicating mass shooting on Collin College's Plano campus (Plano Courier)
    starlocalmedia.com
  6. News
    Collin College, Texas Wesleyan hit by apparent 'hoax' active shooter reports (CBS Texas)
    cbsnews.com
Tags
swattingcollin-collegecommunity-collegetexasplanoapril-2023-swatting-wavecoordinated-multi-school-attacktrauma-informed-closure100-plus-officer-responsesuburban-campusHoax
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion