GREENVILLE, N.C. (WNCT) — East Carolina University officials issued an “all clear” notice around 3 p.m. after an alert earlier Tuesday for what they called “police activity.” It led to the evacuation of Legacy Hall, a residence hall.
WNCT’s Sarah Gray Barr reports someone, likely a student, made a report on the LiveSafe app, which led to the notice and evacuation. ECU Police, the Greenville Police Department, the Pitt County Sheriff’s Office and other organizations assisted in the alert, evacuation of people and temporary closure of streets around Legacy Hall.
The NC State Bureau of Investigation had officials from the Greenville office who were called to assist in an investigation and to search the residence hall.
Barr was told the suspicious object was a class project that was mistaken for a bomb.
“We were able to locate that, isolate that to Legacy Hall,” ECU Police Capt. Chris Sutton said. “Out of an abundance of caution, we locked the building down, cleared the building and the SBI has come to search the item and determined there was not a threat to the building.”
ECU officials said 365 students live in the dorm.
Sutton said it all started when a student posted a Snapchat video with the suspicious item. Sutton said the Snapchat showed the item, the person involved, who was cooperating with law enforcement, and a reference to whether it was a bomb or not.
“(The social post) was intended to be a joke and, unfortunately, because we have to do everything necessary to make sure it was not a treat to our campus, this was what was required to diffuse the situation,” Sutton said.
The original notice was released around 1:30 p.m. and stated, “ECU ALERT: Police activity at Legacy Hall on College Hill. Avoid the area. Individuals at the location will receive instructions by law enforcement officers and Campus Living staff on scene. Monitor ECU Alert for further information.”
Just after 2 p.m., ECU issued another alert with an update that explained the reason for police activity.
“A social media post was reported to law enforcement where a student referred to an object in their room that may or may not be a bomb; no direct threat was made. When ECU Police officers arrived, the student was cooperative. An item was located that appeared suspicious. Out of an abundance of caution, law enforcement and Campus Living removed students from the building and are waiting on equipment to investigate the item.”
Sutton said while there was no threat, it’s never a bad idea to investigate just to make sure.
We say If you see something, say something. We mean that and that’s what happened today,” Sutton said.