IUPUI gives campus 'all clear'

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - Indiana University Purdue University-Indianapolis gave an all clear just before 5 p.m. after being on alert for several hours because of a suspected man with a gun seen at a campus parking lot.

Original story appears below:

Indiana University Purdue University-Indianapolis was asking everyone on campus Tuesday afternoon to seek shelter after a man with what may be a long gun was seen in one of the parking lots.

The parking lot, which is called lot 59, is at Barnhill Drive and Vermont street.

The school is asking students, employees and anyone in the area to seek shelter. The school says all buildings are on lockdown. They are asking people to avoid campus. Around 3:20 p.m., IUPUI police officials said they planned to meet in an hour to determine if the lockdown should continue.

WISH reporter Adrienne Broaddus says some IUPUI students who were on lock down have been cleared to leave.

PHOTOS | Police search campus for possible gunman

IUPUI police officer Bill Abston said a female student told IUPUI police that she saw a man around 12:30 p.m. with a long gun or rifle. She then ducked behind a car.

The man was last seen near the nursing building.

Abston says the man is described as a 6-foot white man with a long brown coat. Abston siad the man was seen next to a green vehicle although it is unclear if the alleged suspect was in a car or not.

"People need to take precautions," he said.

Indianapolis Metropolitan Police officers and Wishard special deputies will be searching the Wishard campus and northern part of the IUPUI campus.

IU Health officials say IU Health University Hospital and Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health are on lockdown until further notice.

As a result, all afternoon activities and scheduled media events at Riley and at IU Health have been canceled.

NCAA headquarters are also on lockdown.

Students at Crispus Attucks Medical Magnet High School were dismissed at 2:45 p.m. They were on lockdown starting around 1:15 p.m. Students who walk home from school will be held until the lockdown has been lifted, a school official said. All extra curricular activities were canceled, and as of 3:23 p.m. only about 15 students were still waiting for rides at the school.

Sarah Blanchard, an IUPUI dental student says she felt safer knowing police and staff was looking into the situation.

“I was a little apprehensive because it is not unusual for tragic and violent crimes to happen on campuses,” she said. “I felt confident within minutes of receiving the IUPUI alert administrators were taking steps to secure the building.”

Blanchard said she wishes she had more updates from the school.

“We don't know what time he was seen and where he was seen,” she said. “We knew he was moving around somewhere. I felt safe in the school but it was an intimidating situation.”

A crew with WANE's sister station WISH i s on the scene and said students are walking around campus despite the lockdown.

A similar incident happened on Ball State University's campus last week.

BSU warned students around 8 a.m. Monday, March 11 to stay in a safe place after a man with a gun was reported north of Bracken Library.

University police found no one with a weapon and made no arrests. The campus was secured and students were told they could return to normal activity.

Check back at WANE.com for updates.