LISTEN: UAPD releases first 911 call that led to active shooter response

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — The University of Arkansas Police Department released the first 911 call that led to the active shooter response on Aug. 25.

The call is believed by law enforcement to be a hoax and is the first call that prompted multiple agencies to descend upon the University of Arkansas campus.

In the audio, the caller tells the 911 operator that he saw a man with a rifle outside the main entrance.

The caller says the supposed man with a rifle had long black hair, was wearing a white t-shirt and grey pants, and was about 6 feet tall.

He then tells the operator that the supposed man with the rifle is walking towards the library. Sounds resembling gunshots are then heard in the background.

The sounds resembling gunshots line up with what both the University of Arkansas Chancellor, Dr. Charles F. Robinson, and a report by the nonprofit group Center for Internet Security and the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (CISISD) said was in the call.

“[These hoax calls were] conducted using Google Voice services and featured gunshot sounds,” the CISISD report reads.

The caller also tells the operator that shots were fired. More sounds resembling gunshots are later heard in the background while the operator tells the caller to stay on the line.

The caller tells the operator that he is not sure if anyone is injured, and then says he hears doors opening. More sounds resembling gunshots are then heard.

The caller then says he thinks the supposed shooter is on the second floor. The call then ends.

In recorded radio audio, Fayetteville police dispatch told an officer that the caller “wished to remain anonymous” when asked for their location.

Fayetteville dispatch recording

The full 911 call audio can be heard in the player at the top of this story.