Lockdown Lifted At SCC After Active Shooter Report

NORTH CAROLINA —A lockdown has been lifted at Southwestern Community College-Jackson Campus Tuesday morning after an initial report of an active shooter in Sylva.

Major Shannon Queen with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office said in an email that officers were looking for a person involved in a car chase who fled on foot. As protocol, they alerted the schools and banks in the area and told them to go on lockdown as a safety precaution.

"There were some mixed messages that went out," Queen said. "There was never a suspected shooter or armed suspect that we knew of. Some of the information got pushed out by the colleges and other businesses."

Southwestern Community College first sent an alert at 10:24 a.m. saying a shooter was in the vicinity of the Sylva campus. Later, the college sent another update saying it was not an active shooter situation, but a felon wearing body armor is on the loose.

"Latest information we have is that he was near Lowe's. Law enforcement are operating under the assumption he is armed. We will send updates every 15 minutes."