A man with a gun was reported at the Law Library in Bascom Mall, according to a UW-Madison WiscAlert issued at 11:44 a.m. At 12:09 p.m. the university police department tweeted that the situation is over and that no threat to campus exists — a campus alert said the original report was "erroneous."
Officers on the scene surrounded the area, according to onlookers. The report caused a panic among students, many of whom ran to take shelter in nearby buildings.
"Someone yelled 'run,' and everyone started running," said Alexandra Kois, a senior. "A girl grabbed me, and we ran into [Ingraham]."
Students in Birge Hall said police came into the building, "yelling" for them to leave.
"We were standing in the first floor in Birge. [An officer] was yelling and gesturing, 'come on,'" said Halle Lambeau, a junior who fled with a friend to a nearby building. "I'm shaking."
"UWPD reports that the report of a man with a weapon was erroneous and the situation at the Law Library is over," a campus alert published at 12:11 p.m. said.
UPDATE Nov. 1, 2017, 12:17 p.m.: This post was updated to add additional information.
UPDATE Nov. 1, 2017, 12:28 p.m.: This post was updated to add additional information.
UPDATE Nov. 1, 2017, 1:35 p.m.: This post was updated to add additional information.