(LOWELL, Mass.) — An individual seen wielding what appeared to be a firearm near a Massachusetts university dormitory, prompting a shelter-in-place order and large law enforcement response, has been identified as a juvenile holding an airsoft replica firearm, police said Thursday.

The Lowell Police Department said it received a report of a person possibly armed with a gun on the University of Massachusetts Lowell’s campus just before 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, which marked the first day of classes for undergraduate students.

A video widely circulated online showed an individual walking with what appeared to be a firearm near a UMass Lowell dormitory on Wednesday.

The university issued a campus-wide shelter-in-place order and canceled classes and events for the rest of the day.

Multiple ag

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