The Yale University campus was locked down and police searched the area Monday after a man made an anonymous call from a pay phone and said his roommate was on his way there "with the intention of shooting people," police said.
Police said Monday afternoon that no gunman was found and that authorities were leaning toward a determination that the call was a hoax.
A 911 call was received at 9:48 a.m. from a man at a pay phone about a mile from the campus, said Officer David Hartman, a New Haven Police spokesman.
"All he really said was that his roommate was on his way to the university, to Yale University, to shoot people," he said.
Police later received reports from witnesses who reported seeing someone with a gun, Hartman said. But he said it was possible they had simply seen officers responding to the initial call.
There was nothing specific about the threat, he said, and the call lasted only seconds. There were no reports of shots fired or anyone injured.
Police blocked off several streets near the university's Old Campus, in the heart of New Haven, where they were concentrating their search. Several local schools also were placed in lockdown. Police in tactical gear entered several campus buildings, and a helicopter hovered over the area. Pedestrian traffic in the normally bustling area was sparse, with cold and windy weather keeping many people inside.
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The response included several police departments, the FBI and other federal agencies, Hartman said. Authorities were conducting a room-by-room search of buildings, he said.
Yale advised students and staff members to shelter in place. The school also issued an advisory asking people off campus to stay away from the area.
Many students and staff members left campus for the Thanksgiving holiday following Saturday's traditional football game against Harvard.
But many others were still in their dorm rooms, Hartman said. Police had difficulty gaining access to some rooms because those locked inside were not convinced they were dealing with law enforcement, he said. Most rooms don't have peepholes.
Yale sent out an email telling community members that officers would be slipping a Yale ID under the door or using keys to gain access.
