Suspicious package, inaccurate alert message closes HTC in Brooklyn Park
BROOKLYN PARK, Minn. (KMSP) - An inaccurate text message was sent out to students at Hennepin Technical College Thursday morning alerting them of an active shooter.
The message followed a call that came into Brooklyn Park Police around 11:30 a.m. of a suspicious package. The college was then evacuated a precautionary measure.
It is unclear what caused the mistaken message to be sent out, but Brooklyn Park Police stress there is no shooter and there is no threat to the public.
Authorities are continuing to investigate the suspicious package.
Everyone is asked to avoid the campus until the all-clear has been given. Day classes at the college's Brooklyn Park campus have been canceled for the rest of the day. No word from the college yet on whether the campus will reopen for night classes.
Police will release more information later this evening.
Statement from Dr. Merrill Irving, Jr., President of Hennepin Technical College
Although many questions remain, there is absolutely no doubt that Hennepin Technical College remains a place of hope and opportunity for all of our students. I am proud of our response and am grateful to the Brooklyn Park police and the Minneapolis Bomb Squad for their prompt and professional response. We remain fully committed to the safety of our faculty, staff, and students, and we continue our work with law enforcement in their ongoing investigation.
The Brooklyn Park campus of Hennepin Technical College remains closed while police continue their investigation. The college anticipates that classes will resume as normal on Friday, September 15.
This incident did not affect the Eden Prairie campus of Hennepin Technical College or its class schedule.