Campus Alert Archive
TTU

Architecture Building False Alarm: Texas Tech Targeted in Week-Long Nationwide Campus Swatting Spree

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 August 26, 2025, Texas Tech University received a false report of an active shooter near the Architecture Building at 5:15 PM CDT. Police responded and quickly determined the report was a hoax with no actual threat. The incident was part of a coordinated week-long swatting campaign targeting universities nationwide.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
Texas Tech University
Public R1 · TX
~40,000 studentsTechAlert
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 ALERTPush
Approximate reconstruction180 chars
TECHALERT: Active shooter reported on campus near the Architecture Building. Avoid the area. Evacuate or seek safe shelter and barricade yourself as necessary until further notice.

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

Reconstructed from KCBD and Everything Lubbock local media reporting
The first call to Lubbock Police came in at 5:15 PM CDT
The Architecture Building is located near 18th and Flint on the southern part of campus
ALL CLEARPush
Verified verbatimTexas Tech University official X (Twitter) post475 chars
A short time ago, Texas Tech University received a report of an active shooter on campus near the Architecture Building. Texas Tech Police immediately responded, and law enforcement thoroughly investigated the situation. It was quickly determined that the report was a false alarm consistent with a series of "swatting" incidents that have targeted universities and schools across the country. Officers remain at the scene, and there is not believed to be a threat to campus.
Verbatim post from the official @TexasTech X account, confirming the false alarm and explicitly tying it to the nationwide swatting wave
The full statement was truncated in the X preview but is preserved word-for-word in KCBD, Everything Lubbock, and NewsChannel 10 coverage
Texas Tech Police arrived on scene and confirmed no active shooter shortly after the 5:15 PM CDT call
Context

Background

On the evening of August 26, 2025, Texas Tech University became the latest target of a nationwide swatting campaign when a shots-fired call was made to the Lubbock Police Department at 5:15 PM referencing the Architecture Building. Police responded with a heavy presence and quickly determined the report was a false alarm. The incident was part of a coordinated campaign by the cybercriminal group Purgatory, which had targeted at least ten universities over the preceding week, including Villanova, the University of South Carolina, Iowa State, Kansas State, CU Boulder, and Northern Arizona University. These calls used Google Voice services and featured gunshot sounds in the background to make the reports sound realistic.
Analysis

Key Findings

Texas Tech's quick determination of a false alarm reflects improved swatting awareness after multiple universities were targeted that week
The university explicitly acknowledged the nationwide hoax pattern in its alert messaging, which may have reduced campus panic
The Purgatory group's use of Google Voice and gunshot sound effects represents an escalation in swatting sophistication
Outcome
No shooter, weapons, or injuries were found. The report was quickly determined to be a false alarm. The incident was connected to the Purgatory cybercriminal group, which targeted at least ten universities between August 21 and August 25.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    FALSE ALARM: Texas Tech active shooter report part of nationwide hoax (KCBD)
    kcbd.com
  2. News
    Texas Tech active shooter report deemed a false alarm hoax (Everything Lubbock)
    everythinglubbock.com
  3. News
    FALSE ALARM: Texas Tech reports active shooter report part of nationwide hoax (NewsChannel 10)
    newschannel10.com
  4. Social
    Texas Tech University official statement on active-shooter false alarm (@TexasTech on X)
    x.com
Tags
swattinghoaxtexaspurgatory-groupcoordinated-threatpublic-universityarchitecture-buildingHoax
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion