Police called to active shooter drill at Waubonsee Community College

ByChuck Goudie and Christine Tressel and Ross Weidner WLS logo
Tuesday, April 4, 2017
Police called to active shooter drill at Waubonsee Community College
An emergency drill at a community college went very badly on Tuesday. It was reported to west suburban police as an active shooter on the Waubonsee Community College campus and a huge police response followed.

SUGAR GROVE, Ill. (WLS) -- An emergency drill at a community college went very badly on Tuesday. It was reported to west suburban police as an active shooter on the Waubonsee Community College campus and a huge police response followed.

It sure looked like the real thing. Dozens of police officers, fire and rescue units from towns near Waubonsee Community College in Sugar Grove, Illinois, and from three counties responded.

Some responded at the high rate of speed that you would expect when the call of an active shooter on a college campus comes in. Just one problem: the college said there was a misunderstanding.

Kane County Sheriff's department said 60 to 70 officers came to the college, but that it turned out to be a drill, although they are trying to figure out what kind of drill.

A college official told the I-Team they were hosting a three-day seminar put on by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The official said someone from the class called 911 to report an active shooter. The dispatcher called the number back and the caller confirmed that there was an active shooter. But there wasn't and now authorities are backtracking on the original call to find out who did it and why.

Nobody was hurt in the quick response that included Kane, Kendall and DuPage County law enforcement as well as Illinois State Police.

Kane County Sheriff's officials said they hope to have a discussion with several area police chiefs to prevent this from happening again.