Campus Alert Archive
OC

Out-of-State Swatter Locks Down 400 Students at Private Christian Campus for 68 Minutes

OKswattingemergency 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 the afternoon of January 12, 2023, Oklahoma Christian University placed its campus on lockdown after receiving a phone-in threat of a mass shooting. The lockdown lasted 68 minutes -- from 4:11 p.m. to 5:19 p.m. -- before OKCPD confirmed the threat originated from out of state and there was no credible danger on campus.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
Oklahoma Christian University
Private Liberal Arts · OK
OC Emergency Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence · 1 verified verbatim

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
Verified verbatimOklahoma Fox 25 reporting; campus police quoted message text20 chars
Lock down immediately
Sent at 4:11 p.m. CST on January 12, 2023; OKCPD received the threat call and OC campus police sent this terse lockdown order to students and staff with no additional context
Students sheltered in place immediately -- one recalled the band room filling with people on the floor, lights off, in silence
Campus police said they 'didn't give us much information' when issuing the alert
ALL CLEARSMS+1h 8m
Approximate reconstruction40 chars
All clear has been given. Campus is safe.

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

All-clear issued at 5:19 p.m. CST on January 12, 2023 -- 68 minutes after the initial lockdown text
OKCPD confirmed the threat came from someone calling from out of state, not near the Edmond campus
The suspect was later arrested on January 19 in Missoula, Montana
Context

Background

Oklahoma Christian University, a private faith-based liberal arts institution in Edmond, Oklahoma with approximately 2,100 students, received a phone-in threat of a mass shooting on January 12, 2023. Campus police sent a terse 'Lock down immediately' text to the campus community at 4:11 p.m. CST, with little additional information, before students sheltered in place for 68 minutes. Students described the experience as 'very scary,' with some taking cover in band rooms with lights off and no talking. Multiple OKC-area law enforcement agencies responded, including OKCPD, OCPD, EMSA, and OKCFD. By 5:19 p.m., OKCPD confirmed the threatening call came from out of state, and the campus was declared safe. A suspect was arrested seven days later in Missoula, Montana, and the OC campus newspaper later reported that the caller had also threatened other locations. The incident is one of hundreds of swatting calls targeting U.S. college campuses that year -- the Educator's School Safety Network documented 731 such calls in 2023.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    OC placed on lockdown after receiving mass shooting threat -- Fox 25 Oklahoma City
    okcfox.com
  2. News
    Police Give 'All Clear' After Threat Made Towards Oklahoma Christian University -- News 9
    news9.com
  3. Student Paper
    OC Shooting Threat Suspect in Police Custody -- Talon News (OC student newspaper)
    talon.news
Tags
swattinglockdownoklahomaprivate-christianhoaxphone-threatout-of-state-callerliberal-artsHoax
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion