About 100 University of Pittsburgh students participated in a “die-in” Friday to protest the university’s perceived delay in notifying the campus community about an active shooter report which was eventually found to be a hoax call.
“Throughout the protest, I heard and saw students claim that their lives were in danger and that they thought they were going to die. I understand the event could have been scary, but claiming Pitt put your life at risk for not sending out a safety alert for a shooting that didn’t happen is a bit much in my opinion,” conservative content creator Logan Dubil told The Daily Caller after attending the protest.
🚨 Students at the University of Pittsburgh are currently protesting in response to an active shooter hoax that took place this week pic.twitter.com/MATQLwcm6V
— LOGAN DUBIL 🇺🇸 (@thelogandubil) April 14, 2023
The Pittsburgh Bureau of Police (PBP) responded Monday night to reports of an active shooter at University of Pittsburgh’s Hillman Library. Police used a firearm to gain access to the library but there was no evidence of other shots fired nor was there any evidence of an active shooter. The “die-in” lasted approximately 82 minutes, the same amount of time which passed between the hoax 911 call and the moment the alert notification went out. (RELATED: ‘Silence Equals Death’: Protest Against Riley Gaines Turns Violent, One Arrested In Scuffle)
UPDATE: Regarding inquiries about shots fired or heard during the investigation, a Pittsburgh Police officer utilized a firearm to gain access to a locked door of the Hillman Library to clear the building of any active threat.
There is no evidence of any other shots fired. https://t.co/zUtcJkhXXD
— Pittsburgh Public Safety (@PghPublicSafety) April 11, 2023
In a video of the protest obtained by The Daily Caller, students are seen laying on blankets and towels for 82 minutes, the amount of time it took for students to be notified about the active shooter hoax. “Hold Pitt accountable,” students chanted.
“Students recognized me at the protest. They said we (Turing Point) were counter-protesting against them when we weren’t. We were there in support of the police and curious of what was happening,” University of Pittsburgh student Lili Orozco told The Daily Caller.
“Instead of hosting this die-in protest, in which most students were on their phones and goofing off the entire time, why not protest for more police presence on campus? Why not protest for my safety measuring funding?” Dubil told The Daily Caller.
“Complicating matters was the Emergency Notification System (ENS) message that went out was both delayed and flawed while officers were dispatched to a similar call in Mervis Hall. To address the ENS issue, we are currently reviewing the system and retraining our communicators,” the University of Pittsburgh said in a statement.
The University of Pittsburgh and PBP did not immediately respond to The Daily Caller’s request for comment.