EFSC Cocoa Campus Reopens After Threat Forces Lockdown

Eastern Florida State College’s Cocoa campus was locked down for about two hours Tuesday morning following a police report of a possible shooting threat that proved to be unfounded.

The incident began when Cocoa Police told college officials the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office had received a 911 call about a suspect possibly armed and threatening the campus.

The campus was locked down while officers from EFSC Security, the Cocoa Police Department and the Sheriff’s Office conducted a sweep of all buildings.

Students, faculty and staff were notified of the emergency through text message alerts that were also posted on the college’s website and social media platforms, telling them to stay in their rooms and lock the doors.

Cocoa Police then received a call from the mother of a student, who said her daughter had sent her a text saying she was locked in a Cocoa campus classroom closet and thought she heard gunshots.

College security worked quickly with police to locate and interview the student about her report.

Officers concluded that no shots had been fired on campus. A further investigation showed the original 911 call was not a legitimate threat and police recommended the lockdown be lifted.

Afterward, classes on the Cocoa campus where canceled for the remainder of Tuesday because of the disruption.

“College security and local law enforcement officers did an excellent job in quickly responding to the possible threat and we’re very grateful for their actions,” said Eastern Florida State College President Dr. Jim Richey.

“Nothing is more important than the safety of everyone at the college. We always take every threat seriously and will continue doing everything in our power to protect our students, faculty and staff.”