A University of Virginia-Wise student faces charges of falsely reporting a gunman on campus after allegedly calling 911 shortly before 9 p.m. Wednesday and reporting that he had seen a gunman on campus. The call prompted university officials to place the school on lockdown.
Bryant Alexander Hairston of Martinsville is charged with falsely summoning law enforcement officials, the university's police department said Thursday.
Hairston, a sophomore psychology major, won't be allowed on campus pending review of the charges.
Campus police, Town of Wise Police, the Wise County Sheriff's Office, Town of Pound Police and Virginia State Police immediately responded and began a building-by-building search after the 911 call Thursday night.
The school had alerted the school community to one possible gunman, but reports of multiple gunmen surfaced on Twitter. Students were told to lock their doors and stay inside.
One student on campus told her parents that she was instructed to run into the gym and hide. Other students told News4 they were told to turn off their lights and silence their phones. They said they heard police running through their dorms.
Geller said Hairston confessed while being interviewed by state police agents.
The Wise campus in the far southwest part of the state near the borders of Tennessee and North Carolina has about 2,000 students.
There was no telephone listing for Hairston in Wise or Martinsville.
