USC officials spoke with student carrying umbrella amid active shooter scare
As students in the heart of the University of South Carolina’s campus fled the library and student union, or barricaded themselves inside coffee shops and campus ministry buildings after an active shooter was reported on campus, one student accidentally found himself at the center of the controversy.
The student, who the university has declined to provide information about, was filmed walking across a pedestrian bridge near USC’s band practice field and the newly erected Campus Village dorms carrying a long, black umbrella. The videos, circulated around social media, added confusion to an already chaotic situation Sunday evening.
Donning black shorts, the student matched the description that the university had sent out in a campus-wide alert: “Active Shooter at Thomas Cooper Library on Columbia campus. Subject reported as 6ft white male with black pants.”
At 7:08 p.m., almost 30 minutes after that alert went out, Republican gubernatorial candidate Nancy Mace shared the video to her 500,000 followers on X.
“Here is the alleged shooter at USC - BOLO - white male, black shorts, grey tshirt, backpack,” Mace, whose son just enrolled at USC, said in a now-deleted social media post alongside the widely-circulated video. Mace added information that was never sent out by law enforcement.
Mace did not issue an apology Sunday evening for sharing the information and instead posted, “Real, or a hoax, or a mistake, now would be an appropriate time to talk about hardened security at schools of all grades, colleges and universities. This was a terrifying experience for students on campus and their families.”
In response to questions from The State on Monday, Mace released a statement.
“Last night, my only title that mattered was ‘mom,’” Mace said. “Like thousands of others I was a concerned mother with a child on campus at USC doing all I could, in a scary moment, to share information that was flowing quickly to keep our kids safe.”
Photos of a student, also wearing black shorts and white shoes, smiling and posing while holding a long, black umbrella circulated social media platforms late Sunday evening. The photo appears to have originated from a Snapchat story titled “South Carolina 2029.” It’s unclear whether the student in that photo is the same student that was videoed crossing the bridge.
Old Row Gamecocks — a USC-specific offshoot of the entertainment and clothing brand Old Row known for posting memes and videos specific to the school and student life — posted the photo to its Instagram and X accounts which cumulatively have more than 83,000 followers. Old Row Gamecocks didn’t immediately reply to The State’s request for comment.
While the university declined to share additional information about the student, USC spokesperson Jeff Stensland confirmed that the school had been in contact with him and that “he’s okay.”
“The video circulating on social media showed him carrying an umbrella, not a firearm. It’s a reminder that it’s not helpful to share unfounded content on social media during a potential emergency,” Stensland said.
Around 6:30 p.m. university police received a 911 call reporting shots fired in Thomas Cooper library, USC Deputy Police Chief Scott Prill told reporters at a media briefing Sunday night. Two hours after that initial call, police had found no evidence that a shooting had occurred.
“We have no video of anyone with a gun. We understand that there’s things circulating on social media, that people have been shot and I think one even said that someone had been killed. Those are all false. We have no corroboration that there was actually an active shooter,” Prill said.
This is a developing story.
Joseph Bustos contributed to this article.
This story was originally published August 25, 2025 at 12:37 PM.
