USC officials spoke with student carrying umbrella amid active shooter scare

Hannah Wade TNS/The State

As students in the heart of the University of South Carolina’s campus fled the library and student union, or barricaded themselves inside coffee shops and campus ministry buildings after an active shooter was reported on campus , one student accidentally found himself at the center of the controversy.

The student, who the university has declined to provide information about, was filmed walking across a pedestrian bridge near USC’s band practice field and the newly erected Campus Village dorms carrying a long, black umbrella. The videos, circulated around social media, added confusion to an already chaotic situation Sunday evening.

Donning black shorts, the student matched the description that the university had sent out in a campus-wide alert: “Active Shooter