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Countywide search is on for reported USF gunman

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Law enforcement gathers in a parking lot on the USF campus.

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TBO.com

Published: July 24, 2009

Updated: 07/24/2009 04:07 pm

The University of South Florida was under lockdown for more than an hour today after a man called a crisis line saying he had a gun on campus and was willing to use it, USF police said.

Area law enforcement is now searching for the suspect who caused the incident.

Tampa police describe him a black male, 5 foot, 7 inches, 200 pounds and driving a gold Saturn, said spokeswoman Laura McElroy, who would not divulge the suspect's name. He lives in Hillsborough County, she said.

Around 12:15 p.m., the man called the Hillsborough County Emergency Crisis Center and said he was on campus in the parking lot adjacent to the Bioscience building with a gun he was ready to use, USF Police Maj. J.D. Withrow.

"We didn't know if he was suicidal or homicidal," Withrow said. "The fact that the call came through the crisis center means someone called them, that means someone is reaching out. It adds a hint more of legitimacy to this case."

The crisis center called the sheriff's office, who then alerted the USF Police. Law enforcement from multiple agencies combed the area and searched building by building but found no one.

Withrow said they'll try and trace the call as a part of their ongoing investigation.

The original text message had asked students to "stay inside and lock doors or stay away from the area."

Tampa police responded to back up university police, according to Tampa Police spokeswoman Darla Portman.

Roderick Colbert was in the fifth floor of the library when the alarm went off.

"I didn't see any gunman, but I did see three U.P. [university police] officers with their guns pointed," Colbert, 35 said.

Colbert could see that the danger has subsided when he saw television crews interviewing people on the street from his library window view.

The education graduate student was finishing a paper on campus today when the commotion started. "Nobody's panicked."

USF spokeswoman Lara Wade said the text message with the warning went out to 55,800 people at 12:31 p.m. It's part of the university's early warning system, which includes sirens and warnings on digital screens throughout the campus.

Shortly before the warning sirens went off, former USF offensive guard Matt Huners, who was playing golf on USF's golf course, heard what he thought was a gunshot.

"It sounded like someone shot off a gun," said Huners, who played football for USF from 2004-08. "Thirty seconds later, we heard the sirens from campus."

Huners was on the 15th tee box. The 15th hole runs along Fletcher Avenue across the street from USF's campus.

"We thought it sounded like a gun," Huners said. "It was a loud bang and we thought, 'what the heck was that.' We weren't sure what is was."

Karla Taylor was at the cashier's office on campus paying a parking fine so she could register for classes when she heard the siren.

"I've never heard anything like that before," said Taylor, 28, a doctoral candidate in English literature. "Everyone was calm though."

Taylor ignored the warning to stay inside and instead walked back to her car where she noticed that there was no one else outside.

"Maybe I'm stupid for walking back to my car but it was on the other side of campus," Taylor, 28, said. "I think it'll turn out to be a mistaken identity."

Nina Lopez, 25, said she was standing outside the Marshall Center on campus when she heard what sounded like an air raid siren over the loudspeakers. Then she heard an announcement warning people to get indoors and stay away from windows.

Lopez said people are locked inside the Marshall Center and that the situation is "fairly calm."

The campus was relatively empty except for the Marshall Center, which was holding a freshmen orientation when the alarms went off.

Senior Tim Padawer said this was the third time he has had safety warnings and "all the others were false alarms."

Freshman Jessica Gardener "I think this has been blown out of proportion but we really don't know."

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