TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – Sounds from a robotics competition hosted on Florida A&M’s campus were mistaken for gunfire Wednesday afternoon.
According to the Tallahassee Police Department, around noon a caller reported seeing someone walking with a firearm near Lake Bradford Road.
Because of the proximity to campus, the shelter in place alert was issued for FAMU’s campus.
At the same time, a robotics competition was being hosted on campus. Some people mistook the sounds from the competition as gunfire, which prompted concern and reports to law enforcement, TPD said.
FAMU sent an alert to students and faculty, as well as posting on social media, telling them to shelter in place due to police activity in the area of Bragg Stadium and FAMU Villages.
Within 30 minutes, students and faculty were given the all clear.
TPD said officers never found a person with a gun in the area described in the original call.
TPD also said this serves as a reminder that under current law, a person carrying a firearm is not necessarily a crime, as long as the person is legally allowed to carry the weapon and is not carrying it in a restricted location.
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