Campus Alert Archive
UK

UK Alert Software Glitch Sends Active Shooter Warning to Office Phones During Routine Test

KYothertestmedium confidence
UnfoundedNo evidence of an actual threat was found. The institutional response is documented because the alert communication is identical to what would occur during a real incident.

On October 17, 2024, at approximately 10:00 AM EDT, a software malfunction during routine testing of the UK Alert system caused a false active shooter warning to be sent to university office landline phones. The university quickly clarified there was no emergency through social media, email, and the UK website.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
University of Kentucky
Public R1 · KY
~33,000 studentsUK 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 ALERTPhone
Approximate reconstruction140 chars
UK ALERT: Active shooter reported on campus. Seek shelter immediately. Lock and barricade doors. Silence phones. If safe to evacuate, do so.

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

This alert was sent only to university office landline phones, not to the broader campus notification system
The false alert was caused by a software glitch during routine testing of the alert system
UK spokesperson Jay Blanton confirmed the malfunction was believed to be limited to office phones
CORRECTIONTwitter/X
Verified verbatimUniversity of Kentucky statement quoted verbatim by WKYT and Lex18 (attributed to UK spokesperson Jay Blanton)154 chars
There was a technical malfunction with software this morning. A UK Alert was incorrectly sent out to office phones. There is no emergency and no UK Alert.
The correction was distributed through social media, email, and the UK website to reach the broadest possible audience
UK spokesperson Jay Blanton emphasized the malfunction was isolated to office phones
This incident occurred less than two months after the September 1 shooting near campus, heightening the potential for alarm
Context

Background

On October 17, 2024, at approximately 10:00 AM EDT, the University of Kentucky's UK Alert system experienced a software malfunction during routine testing that caused a false active shooter warning to be sent to university office landline phones. The university quickly clarified through multiple channels that there was no emergency. UK spokesperson Jay Blanton stated that the malfunction occurred "as part of testing with our alert system" and was not believed to have reached the broader mobile notification network. The incident was particularly alarming given that it came less than two months after a real shooting near UK's north campus on September 1, 2024, which had injured two people. The false alert prompted panic among staff who received the message on their desk phones before the correction could be distributed. The incident highlighted the risks of testing live alert systems without adequate safeguards to prevent false messages from reaching end users.
Analysis

Key Findings

The malfunction was contained to office landline phones and did not reach the broader mobile notification system, limiting its impact
The timing, less than two months after a real near-campus shooting, amplified the potential for panic among staff who received the false alert
The incident underscores the need for sandboxed testing environments for campus alert systems to prevent false messages from reaching users
Outcome
No actual emergency occurred. The malfunction was limited to landline office phones and was not believed to have been distributed to student cell phones via the broader alert system. The university issued clarifications through multiple channels.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    'No emergency': UK says alert system malfunctioned (WKYT)
    wkyt.com
  2. News
    UK reports 'technical malfunction' after emergency alert accidentally gets sent out (Lex18)
    lex18.com
  3. News
    False Alarm: Active Shooter Alert at University of Kentucky (Here Lexington)
    herelexingtonky.com
  4. News
    U.K. Alert false alarm (WTVQ)
    wtvq.com
Tags
system-malfunctionfalse-alertactive-shooter-false-alarmtesting-errorlandline-phonesseclexington-kentuckyalert-system-testingUnfounded
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion