According to ABC affiliate WWAY, students and staffers who were on campus got a text alert asking them to shelter in place and that the university had received anonymous reports via social media about a person with a "gun on campus."
UNCW Chancellor Aswani Volety gave the "all clear" at 9:50 p.m., saying "no active attacker" had been found and labeled the incident a "false alarm."
Volety said late Thursday that more information about class cancellations and campus operations would be released soon.
On Friday, Volety released a video message addressing the incident, which caused fear and confusion on campus. He called it a "challenging day" and thanked law enforcement responders for their response. He also discussed steps moving forward to keep the campus safe.
You can watch the chancellor's full message below:
Stay on top of breaking news stories with the ABC11 News App