Campus Alert Archive
CofC

The Cougar Alert That Said a Bomb Had Been 'Found': How a Pre-Drafted Default Message Created Chaos at CofC

SCbomb threatemergency notificationhigh confidence
Confirmed HoaxDetermined to be a hoax. The institutional response is documented because it reveals how the alert system performed under a perceived real threat.

On February 10, 2015, a caller phoned in a bomb threat to the College of Charleston, claiming to have placed explosives in the Beatty Center and threatening to shoot people there within the first 30 seconds of the call. It took the college nearly 30 minutes to issue its first Cougar Alert, and the initial message mistakenly told students a bomb had been FOUND on campus — a pre-drafted default template that had not been edited. No bomb was ever located.

Alerts
3
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
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Institution
College of Charleston
Public Masters · SC
~10,000 studentsCougar Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

3 messages in sequence · 1 verified verbatim

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTSMS
Verified verbatimLive 5 News and Charleston City Paper coverage quoting the Cougar Alert text verbatim271 chars
A bomb has been found on the College of Charleston campus. If you are on campus, prepare immediately for possible evacuation. If you are not in the area, stay away. Listen for instructions from college officials or local authorities and follow them quickly and carefully.
Sent at approximately 11:08 AM EST on February 10, 2015 — about 29 minutes after the bomb-threat 911 call at 10:39 AM EST
The text incorrectly stated a bomb had been 'found' when no device had been located; the language came from a pre-drafted Cougar Alert default that staff failed to edit before sending
President Glenn McConnell later disclosed that three versions went out (voicemail, email, and text alert) and only the voicemail version was correct
The 29-minute gap exceeded the average duration of an active-shooter incident on a school campus (12.5 minutes), drawing sharp criticism
The alert made no mention of the caller's threat to shoot people in the Beatty Center
CORRECTIONEmail+22 min
Approximate reconstruction134 chars
Cougar Alert: A bomb threat has been called in for the College of Charleston campus. Evacuate the area. Authorities are investigating.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Follow-up corrected the false 'bomb has been found' language but, like all subsequent CofC messages that day, made no mention of the caller's parallel threat to shoot people in the Beatty Center
Critics noted the omission left students unprepared to consider an active-shooter response in addition to bomb evacuation
ALL CLEAREmail+2h 52m
Approximate reconstruction154 chars
Cougar Alert: The College of Charleston campus has been searched and no device was located. Normal operations resume. Authorities continue to investigate.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

All-clear came after K-9 and police searched the Beatty Center at 5 Liberty St. and the Craig Hall courtyard, the two locations named by the caller
The caller had told dispatchers his name was 'Zach' and claimed the two bombs would detonate simultaneously
Context

Background

On the morning of February 10, 2015, a caller who self-identified as 'Zach' phoned in a bomb threat to the College of Charleston, claiming to have placed bombs in the Beatty Center at 5 Liberty Street and in the Craig Hall courtyard, and threatening within the first 30 seconds to shoot people in the Beatty Center. The threat call came in at 10:39 AM EST. The first Cougar Alert text message did not reach students until approximately 11:08 AM EST — a 29-minute delay that exceeded the average duration of a school active-shooter incident. The initial alert text contained a glaring error: it told students a bomb had been FOUND on campus, not that a threat had been called in. The wording came from a pre-drafted default Cougar Alert message that staff had not edited before broadcasting. Subsequent corrections fixed the 'found' error but never mentioned the caller's parallel threat to shoot people. Police searched both named buildings and found no devices; the threat was ruled a hoax. The college's release of 911 recordings days later revealed the dual bomb-and-gun nature of the threat, sharpening criticism of the alert system's omissions. The incident triggered a formal review and overhaul of Cougar Alert templates and triggered statewide conversations about pre-drafted emergency message libraries.
Analysis

Key Findings

The first Cougar Alert was sent 29 minutes after the threat call, far longer than the 12.5-minute median for a campus active-shooter event
Pre-drafted default alert templates can introduce factually false statements (e.g., 'a bomb has been found') when staff fail to edit them before sending
CofC's messages omitted the caller's threat to shoot people in the Beatty Center, even though the gun threat was made in the first 30 seconds of the 911 call
The incident prompted a systemwide review of CofC's emergency notification templates and is frequently cited in higher-ed emergency-management training
Outcome
No explosive device was found. The threat was determined to be a hoax. The incident exposed flaws in CofC's pre-drafted Cougar Alert templates and a 29-minute delay between the threat call and the first alert. The college subsequently overhauled its alert templates and procedures.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    CofC seeks to fix its bomb-threat blunder (Charleston City Paper)
    charlestoncitypaper.com
  2. News
    CofC bomb threat: Caller threatened to use a gun within first 30 seconds (Charleston City Paper)
    charlestoncitypaper.com
  3. News
    CofC, Charleston Co. release 911 calls from campus bomb, shooting threat (Live 5 News)
    live5news.com
  4. trade press
    Bomb Threat Causes Chaos at College of Charleston (Inside Higher Ed)
    insidehighered.com
  5. News
    False bomb alert at College of Charleston was created years ago, system manager says (Post and Courier)
    postandcourier.com
  6. Official
    College of Charleston Aggressor/Bomb Threat Procedure (Official)
    charleston.edu
Tags
bomb-threatsouth-carolinaalert-system-failurepre-drafted-template-errorswatting-style-threatdelayed-notificationcougar-alertHoax
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion