San Jose State Lockdown Lifted After Report of Man With Gun

Bay City News —  A lockdown at San Jose State University ended late Thursday morning after police investigated a report of a gunman and came up empty-handed, a university spokeswoman said.

University police received a call around 9 a.m. from a student who reported seeing a gunman at Sweeney Hall, in the southern part of the campus near San Salvador Street. University spokeswoman Pat Lopes Harris said police considered it a credible tip and closed down Sweeney Hall, and advised the entire campus about the sighting, Harris said.

She said 300 students and faculty members were on lockdown inside Sweeney Hall until just before 11 a.m. Police did not find the alleged gunman, who was described as a white male with a handgun dressed in dark attire, Lopes Harris said. 

One student told Patch that he heard it was a "gangbanger with a gun tucked into his pants."

Just before police gave the "all-clear" around 11 a.m., 22-year-old student Katie Herr's father, Gerry Jensen, arrived at the campus. Jensen said he had received a text message from his daughter that said there was a gunman in her building and that her classroom was locked. "I came down as a concerned parent," Jensen said.

Harris said police had some difficulty searching buildings because of the lockdown, with students and faculty refusing to open doors.