Gunshots Near Upper Chesapeake Spark Alert In Bel Air: Sheriff

BEL AIR, MD — People target shooting in Bel Air prompted law enforcement to converge around the University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Medical Center Tuesday in Bel Air.

Officers responded to the area of the hospital campus off MD 24 after somebody called authorities to report hearing gunshots, according to the sheriff's office.

Drivers were advised to avoid the vicinity of the hospital, including Tollgate Road, Macphail Road and MD 24.

There was "extreme police activity" around Upper Chesapeake Medical Center, the Fallston Volunteer Fire and Ambulance Company reported at 4:25 p.m.

At 4:40 p.m., the Harford County Sheriff's Office issued this statement to put concerns at bay: "Alert: There is no active incident at Upper Chesapeake Medical Center in Bel Air, and no threat to the community."

By 4:56 p.m., Fallston officials said all fire and EMS crews were released from the scene as law enforcement handled the case.

"There is no threat to the community," the sheriff's office reported before 5:20 p.m.

Investigators said they determined that people in a neighborhood adjacent to the hospital had been target shooting, and they were continuing to look into the situation.

During the initial response, an alert was reportedly sent to staff about an active shooter, according to The Aegis, which said that 911 calls can sometimes trigger precautionary messaging.