Girls popping balloons on U-M campus, no active threat on campus police say

Ann Arbor, Mich (WJBK) - There was mass chaos in Ann Arbor on the University of Michigan campus after reports of shots fired at Mason Hall.

“It was surreal it was like in a movie or something,” Shawna Macurio said.

People were scrambling everywhere as a vigil on campus for the New Zealand Mosque shooting was interrupted. 

“I saw cops coming out of the cop cars literally sprinting towards the building,” Macurio said. 

The University of Michigan tweeted around 5 p.m., warning of an active shooter and telling people to "run, hide, fight."

"My roomie texted me there was a guy with a gun in Mason Hall and I was in the hall next door,” student Srdjan Cvjeticinin said. 

Students barricaded themselves to take cover as police put Mason Hall and its adjoining buildings on lockdown.

"They knocked on the door there was a giant gun staring me in the face and they said put your hands up and I did and they told me to put my hands up I did and they escorted us out,” Cvjeticinin said. 

“We did have people in the building that stayed in the building the whole time that did what we trained them to do,” Deputy Chief Melissa Overton said with University of Michigan Public Safety.

After about an hour of unknown, police confirmed the reports were unfounded -- there was no shooter.

“We have cleared all of the buildings and found no evidence of an active shooter situation,” Overton said.

This false alarm was caused after about a dozen girls popped balloons and screamed, causing hysteria.

“We are still interviewing several people that may have been involved in that situation,” Overton said.

The response was massive, as police searched every single room until giving the all clear just before 8 p.m.

“I think it was appropriate for what they thought the situation was I’m happy to see that they respond in a big way and take it seriously,” Marcurio said.  

Head of U of M Public Safety says her officers just had active shooter training last week.

“You can never be too cautious and if it were a valid or active situation this is the response I would have liked to see,” Overton said. 

During this active shooter scare, no officers and no students were hurt. The thing on everyone’s mind is if those girls were intentionally trying to scare people or if they were doing something they didn’t think through. More answers to come in a few days.