Campus Alert Archive
GCC

A County-Wide 'Shoot Up a School' Call Put GCC Under Shelter-in-Place

NYthreat of violenceemergency notificationmedium confidence
UnfoundedNo evidence of an actual threat was found. The institutional response is documented because the alert communication is identical to what would occur during a real incident.

On the afternoon of Thursday, April 20, 2023, Genesee Community College's Batavia campus was placed under a sheriff-ordered shelter-in-place after a threat to 'shoot up a school' was phoned in to a Veteran's Administration hotline from a Batavia-area number around 1 p.m. Police dispatched patrols to every school in Genesee County and to GCC. Investigators quickly determined the threat was not credible and lifted the lockouts; two juveniles, ages 12 and 13, were later charged.

Alerts
2
Response
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Killed
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Injured
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Institution
Genesee Community College
Community College · NY
GCC Campus Safety
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence

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 ALERTUnknown
Approximate reconstruction211 chars
GCC Alert: At the direction of the Genesee County Sheriff, the Batavia campus is under shelter-in-place due to a county-wide threat investigation. Remain inside and away from exterior doors until further notice.

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

Reconstructed shelter-in-place wording; WHEC reported the Genesee County Sheriff ordered a shelter-in-place at GCC after a threat phoned to a VA hotline around 1 p.m. EDT on April 20, 2023, but no archived verbatim alert text was located.
GCC was one of many sites placed in lockout county-wide; the threat was a general 'shoot up a school' call not specific to the college.
ALL CLEARUnknown
Approximate reconstruction137 chars
GCC Alert: The shelter-in-place has been lifted. Law enforcement determined the threat was not credible. Normal campus operations resume.

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

Reconstructed all-clear; reporting indicated on-scene detectives quickly determined the threat was not credible and released the schools and college from lockout the same afternoon of April 20, 2023.
This is a genuine all-clear because it lifts the shelter-in-place and states the threat was not credible.
Context

Background

Genesee Community College is a SUNY two-year college in Batavia, between Buffalo and Rochester. According to WHEC News10NBC, the Genesee County Sheriff ordered a shelter-in-place at GCC on the afternoon of Thursday, April 20, 2023, as part of a county-wide response to a threat. The Daily News of Batavia reported the threat came in to a Veteran's Administration hotline around 1 p.m. from a Batavia-area number, saying the caller would 'shoot up a school,' prompting patrols to every school in the county and to GCC. Detectives quickly determined the threat was not credible and released the lockouts, and two juveniles ages 12 and 13 attending Notre Dame High School were later charged. The case shows how a non-specific regional threat can sweep a community college into a county-wide shelter-in-place even when the college is not the named target.
Analysis

Key Findings

The shelter-in-place at GCC was ordered by the county sheriff as part of a county-wide response, not in reaction to a campus-specific threat
The originating threat was a vague 'shoot up a school' call routed through a VA hotline, illustrating how third-party tip channels can trigger mass lockouts
Investigators deemed the threat not credible the same afternoon and later charged two juveniles, neither connected to GCC
Outcome
Police determined the threat was not credible and released the schools and college from lockout the same afternoon. Two juveniles attending Notre Dame High School were later charged in connection with the threat.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Genesee County schools lift lockout after threat (Sheriff orders shelter-in-place at GCC) - WHEC News10NBC
    whec.com
  2. News
    Two juveniles charged in threat which spurred lockouts at Genesee County schools - The Daily News
    thedailynewsonline.com
Tags
threatemergency-notificationnew-yorkcommunity-collegesunyshelter-in-placenot-crediblecounty-wideUnfounded
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion