Campus Alert Archive
UNO

'Multiple Victims Down' at Criss Library — Except There Were None

NEswattingemergency 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 Saturday, October 4, 2025, around 4:54 p.m., two 911 calls reported shots fired with multiple people hurt at the University of Nebraska Omaha's Criss Library. Omaha and university police flooded the building at 6401 University Drive but found no victims, no gunfire, and no threat by about 5:22 p.m., concluding it was a swatting call. It was a precursor to a separate January 2026 explosive-device hoax at the same library.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
University of Nebraska Omaha
Public R2 · NE
UNO Alert
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 reconstruction200 chars
UNO Alert: Police are responding to a report of shots fired near Criss Library. Avoid the area. If you are nearby, shelter in place, lock doors, and stay away from windows. More information to follow.

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

Two 911 calls came in around 4:54 p.m. CDT on October 4, 2025 claiming shots fired and multiple victims down at Criss Library, 6401 University Drive.
Reporting did not preserve UNO's exact alert wording or its precise send time, so this is an honest reconstruction with an approximate timestamp.
The 'shooter still firing' framing of the 911 calls is the swatting hallmark this archive tracks against the absence of any real incident.
ALL CLEARSMS
Approximate reconstruction194 chars
UNO Alert: All clear. Officers searched Criss Library and found no victims, no evidence of gunfire, and no threat. The report appears to be a false (swatting) call. Normal operations may resume.

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

Police determined there was no active threat by about 5:22 p.m. CDT on October 4, 2025, roughly half an hour after the first call.
This is a true all-clear: it lifted protective actions and identified the event as a likely swatting call.
UNO later confirmed the swatting determination in an official statement; the precise all-clear wording was not published.
Context

Background

The October 4, 2025 swatting hit the University of Nebraska Omaha (a public R2 in Omaha, Central Time) on a quiet Saturday afternoon. According to WOWT, Omaha Police and Fire were called around 5 p.m. to 6401 University Drive for a mass-casualty active-shooter report. Channel 2 Now reported two 911 calls came in around 4:54 p.m. claiming shots fired and multiple victims, with police clearing the scene by about 5:22 p.m. UNO posted a swatting-call update confirming no threat, and the student newspaper The Gateway tracked the ongoing joint investigation with campus police, OPD, and the FBI. The same library would be evacuated again in January 2026 for a separate explosive-device email hoax, making Criss Library a repeated target.
Analysis

Key Findings

Two 911 calls around 4:54 p.m. CDT on October 4, 2025 falsely reported an active shooter with multiple victims at UNO's Criss Library
Police found no victims or gunfire and cleared the scene by about 5:22 p.m. CDT
UNO confirmed the report was a swatting call; a joint campus police, OPD, and FBI investigation followed
Criss Library was targeted again in January 2026 by a separate explosive-device email hoax
Outcome
No victims, evidence of gunfire, or active threat were found. By about 5:22 p.m. police determined the report was a swatting call. A joint campus police, OPD, and FBI investigation followed.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Police respond to swatting call on University of Nebraska Omaha campus - WOWT
    wowt.com
  2. News
    Omaha Police Respond to False Active Shooter Report at UNO Criss Library - Channel 2 Now
    channel2now.com
  3. Official
    Swatting Call Update - University of Nebraska Omaha
    unomaha.edu
  4. Student Paper
    Criss Library swatting investigation ongoing - The Gateway
    unothegateway.com
Tags
swattingemergency-notificationnebraskacriss-libraryactive-shooter-hoaxfalse-reportfbi-investigationHoax
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion