MPOW: Fear of Shooting Leads to UIC Building Evacuation
It was a normal Friday afternoon. I heard a police siren outside. In fact, I heard a number of police sirens. I looked outside the window and more than half a dozen squad cars came to a screeching halt just outside.
Someone remarked that it might be a bank robbery from across the street. Then suddenly, one of the admin assistants came running in first telling us that someone was running around our building with a gun and that we should duck into one of the private offices for cover. Next came someone running in saying we should vacate the premises immediately.
I picked up my laptop, camera -- and coffee -- and headed out.
Someone said the person was running around with an AK-47 -- that there were two intruders and one had been arrested. Another said hostages had been taken. Three hours later we were told it was a false alarm. More from the Chicago Tribune: "Officer Searching UIC Accidentally Discharges Gun"
[PHOTO: UIC spokesman Mark Rosati talking to press after the Student Services Building had been evacuated.]
UPDATE: Two articles - one from the official University newspaper, UICNEWS, with the reassuring title "Incident shows UIC Prepared for Emergency, Police Say", and another from the student newspaper, The Flame with the slightly more breathless title "Disaster Averted Gunfire Prompts 'Confused' Building Evacuation".
