Campus Alert Archive
MUSC

Former Patient's Racist Phone Threat to MUSC ER Prompts Security Lockdown of Hospital Entrances

SCthreat of violenceadvisorymedium 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.

In the early morning hours of August 17, 2019, a nurse at the MUSC Adult Trauma Center received two threatening calls from a man who had previously been escorted out of the emergency department, in which he threatened to shoot hospital security officers 'especially the black ones.' MUSC increased its security presence and secured all key points of the hospital as a precaution. Tony Alan Gilson, 49, was charged with unlawful use of a telephone and released on a $2,500 personal recognizance bond.

Alerts
1
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
Medical University of South Carolina
Public R2 · SC
MUSC Alerts
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

1 message 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 ALERTUnknown
Approximate reconstruction198 chars
MUSC has been made aware of disturbing comments directed at the downtown hospital. Out of an abundance of caution, we have increased our security presence and secured all key points of the hospital.

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

The calls came in around midnight and again at approximately 4:00 AM EST; a nurse receiving the calls reported to security officers stationed in the ED, who then notified Public Safety, creating a multi-step internal notification chain before campus-wide response.
The threat contained an explicitly racial component targeting Black security officers, which the Post and Courier reported verbatim in the incident report; MUSC's public statement used neutral 'disturbing comments' language.
Context

Background

MUSC, the Medical University of South Carolina, operates the state's only academic medical center in downtown Charleston. On the night of August 16 into August 17, 2019, a nurse in the MUSC Adult Trauma Center received two threatening phone calls. WCBD News 2 reported that Public Safety officers responded to the MUSC Adult Trauma Center around 5:41 AM to speak with the nurse, who described the caller as an older man with a rough voice who sounded intoxicated. Officers determined the phone number belonged to a former patient who had been escorted out of the emergency department. In one call, the nurse reported hearing the man say he was going to shoot hospital security officers 'especially the black ones.' The Post and Courier reported that MUSC increased its security presence and secured all key points of the hospital after learning of the threat. Tony Alan Gilson, 49, was arrested and charged with unlawful use of a telephone. He claimed his brother had made the calls. A judge set bond at $2,500. ABC News 4 in Charleston also covered the incident and the arrest. No violence occurred, and MUSC described the decision to increase security as a precaution taken out of an abundance of caution.
Analysis

Key Findings

A former patient used a callback to the hospital to threaten staff after being escorted out, illustrating the post-discharge threat vector at academic medical centers
The threat explicitly targeted Black security officers, making this an incident with a documented racial-violence component in the MUSC Public Safety incident report
MUSC's internal notification chain moved from a bedside nurse to ED security to Public Safety before a campus-wide response was initiated, a multi-step process that is common but can introduce delays
The incident resulted in an arrest but no violence; MUSC's response was precautionary enhanced security rather than a formal lockdown
Outcome
Tony Gilson, 49, was arrested and charged with unlawful use of a telephone. MUSC increased security as a precautionary measure; no violence occurred. The suspect claimed his brother made the calls.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Man arrested in connection with threatening calls made to MUSC's ER
    live5news.com
  2. News
    MUSC increased security after patient made racist threat to campus officers
    postandcourier.com
  3. News
    Man arrested after making threatening phone calls to MUSC
    counton2.com
  4. News
    Report: Man threatened to shoot MUSC security officers, 'especially the black ones'
    abcnews4.com
Tags
threat-of-violencehospitalacademic-health-centersouth-carolinacharlestonracist-threatemergency-departmentformer-patientadvisoryHoax
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion