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Police: 'No activity or shooter' on St. Petersburg College campus after possible gunshots heard

The college said its Gibbs campus was briefly on lockdown as a precaution.
Credit: vmargineanu - stock.adobe.com

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — St. Petersburg police said there is "no activity or shooter" on the St.Petersburg College Gibbs campus after possible gunshots were heard in the area.

Officers say someone called the department shortly before 10 a.m. on Thursday to report the possible gunshots heard in the area of 5th Avenue North and 66th Street.

"Due to the proximity to the SPC Campus, officers responded to the campus as a precaution," the department said in a release.

In a tweet, the college said it was on lockdown while officers swept the area. The lockdown has since been lifted.

"St. Petersburg Police and college security determined there was no incident on campus," the college wrote in a tweet.

Police said the source of the noise has not been located.

This comes just two days after several Tampa Bay-area high schools were placed on lockdown following what are believed to be fake threats.

St. Pete police said a caller claimed on Tuesday that there was an active shooter at St. Petersburg Catholic High School — a claim later determined to be a hoax.

Law enforcement agencies were also dispatched to Pinellas Park High School for an unfounded report of a shooter, the city's police department said. Authorities investigated what they called a "swatting" call at Riverview High School in Sarasota, as well. 

"Swatting" is considered an extreme tactic meant to deceive emergency service dispatchers into sending a large number of law enforcement officers to a particular location.

RELATED: 'Hoax' threats force lockdowns at several Tampa Bay-area schools

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