Central Connecticut State University Locked Down After Campus Shooter “Scare” That Could’ve Been a Halloween Costume; Campus Police Chief Says There Was No Real Threat to Anyone, Charges Likely

Central Connecticut State University declared a
state of emergency and ordered a
campus lockdown after reports of a possibly costumed armed man
on campus also carrying what looked like a sword. “Somebody was
seen either with a gun or was thought to have a gun,” a university
spokesperson told the press. The lockdown
ended after police took three people, including at least one
student, the primary suspect, into custody. They recovered no
weapons, and the Hartford Courant
reports that the campus police chief said there was never a
threat to anyone.  Nevertheless, even while acknowledging the
incident “possibly could have been a Halloween costume,” the campus
police chief insisted it “wasn’t a prank because there was concern,
there was alarm.”

The Courant has a
photo gallery illustrating the overwhelming police response,
which included cops from several local towns and state police
sending two SWAT teams to the school. The first photo, of a couple
embracing, is captioned “A man hugs his girlfriend as they reunite
on Manafort Street as students and faculty were finally released
Monday afternoon,” a caption worth a thousand words.

Police say charges are likely in the incident, according
to the Courant’s David Owens.