Active threat call at Mercer University unfounded, officials say. Shelter in place lifted

Officials have canceled a shelter in place at Mercer University after finding that a call earlier Wednesday afternoon regarding an active threat was unfounded, the university said in a message to the campus community.

Campus officials warned the campus community before 12:30 p.m. Wednesday that they had received a report of an active threat, and the Macon campus was told to shelter in place for more than an hour.

“An active threat has been reported on the Macon campus,” the initial text message said.

Mercer University police officer Jacob Tarver told The Telegraph that police swept the campus while the shelter in place was underway.

An all-clear was sent to students and faculty just before 1:30 p.m.

“There is no active threat on the Macon campus,” the more recent text message said. “Police are continuing to monitor the situation.”

‘Threat phoned in’

The alleged threat was reported over a phone call, according to Jennifer Fairfield-Williams, director of media relations for the university.

“There was a threat phoned in,” Fairfield-Williams said. She was not able to confirm if the threat was reported to 911, the university or another entity.

Elementary school impacted nearby

Alexander II Magnet School, an elementary school just walking distance from Mercer’s Macon campus, was under a temporary lockdown as officers investigated the area, according to the Bibb County School District. It has since been lifted.

It was locked down out of precaution before authorities confirmed there was no active threat, according to Stephanie Hartley, chief communications officer for the school district.

‘You could hear a pin drop’

When Zoie Thompson, a senior at Mercer, got the first emergency text, her classmates frantically piled into an elevator and she was left behind on her own, she recalled.

Thompson and around 20 other people were in class in Willet Auditorium, at College and Prince streets, when they were alerted of the reported threat.

Her classmates felt unsafe sheltering there because “they were like, ‘This is too open. We need to move to a classroom with a door,’” Thompson said.

“They all piled in the elevator and left me,” she told The Telegraph two hours following the incident, after she left Chick-fil-A on campus.

They went up in the packed elevator, and she took the stairs to try to meet up with them and find a secure spot to hide. But they disappeared and all she heard was “people moving desks in front of doors,” she said.

Thompson hid by herself in a bathroom. She said she was scared because “that bathroom door doesn’t lock.”

Another student was temporarily locked out of a building after being alerted of the possible threat.

Buck Ledford, a mechanical engineering senior at Mercer, said he tried to enter the University Center food court to grab lunch and seek shelter, but the doors were locked.

“I had to find my way in,” he said.

Ledford was only able to go inside because he’s a university athlete, he said.

Ledford went downstairs to “the athlete’s entrance” and his electronic key card admitted him inside, he told The Telegraph.

He didn’t see anyone outside, which was unusual being near the commonly populated center of campus.

“It was just calm,” Ledford said. “It’s like you could hear a pin drop on campus.”

Recent rise of active threat calls

A wave of hoax calls of active threats and armed subjects have been reported in August in Perry, Macon and other cities across the country.

The reports happened just days into a new school year.

An active shooter was reported Tuesday at Central Georgia Technical College and Rutland High School in Macon. Both incidents turned out to be swatting calls, the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office said.

A possible armed subject was reported on Aug. 8, near Perry High School, prompting a over 100 law enforcement officers to respond, the Houston County Sheriff’s Office said. Officers never found an armed person, and the person who reported the incident tried to hide their identity, Sheriff Matt Moulton said.

At least a dozen unfounded calls claimed there was an active shooter in 2025 across U.S. cities, according to the Associated Press.

It is illegal to give or convey false information regarding threats in the U.S., and violators can face prosecution.

This story may be updated as more information becomes available.

This story was originally published August 27, 2025 at 12:36 PM.