ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The University of Michigan Chapter of alpha Kappa Delta Phi issued an apology Sunday night after triggering a false active shooter alert Saturday, March 16.
Officials from the sorority said a group of members planned a bonding event that involved team-building activities, including one that involved popping balloons, which triggered the false shooter alert.
The University of Michigan Division of Public Safety and Security received about 20 calls reporting shots being fired from the second floor of Mason Hall around 4:35 p.m. March 16.
The calls reported that shots were near the campus' Diag, which was the location of a vigil taking place for those killed in the mosque attacks in New Zealand.
"We are truly sorry to everyone who feared for their lives and had to experience the traumatic events of that day, especially to our fellow Muslim students and all those who were present at the New Zealand Mosques Solidarity Vigil," sorority officials wrote in their apology. "It is unacceptable to merely pass off our actions as a poorly timed coincidence. To do so would be to ignore the politically-charged atmosphere that day and the many serious events on campus that preceded the false alarm."
The all-clear was given at 7:50 p.m. after a thorough search of the area, and officers found no evidence of a shooter or an active attack.
The sorority waited a week to respond to the events and acknowledged in their apology "that everyone perceives and processes traumatic events in different ways and at different speeds." They said they used the week to process their feelings and take responsibility for their actions.
"While words cannot undo the trauma that was experienced that day, we will use Saturday's events as a way to further educate ourselves more about social justice and to empower and uplift our fellow Muslim community and communities of color," the apology read.
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