College gunshot report caused by thrown newspaper

A reported shot fired on Gettysburg College campus in Pennsylvania early on Saturday morning was not a gunshot at all, rather a newspaper hitting the sidewalk as it was delivered.

Gettysburg Borough Police Chief Joseph Dougherty said police interviewed several residents throughout the area, where a student had reported a gunshot fired by a person in a white sedan. Through their investigation, police learned that the woman driving the white sedan was delivering the morning newspaper - a regular Saturday morning routine.



But the noise of the newspaper hitting the sidewalk must have sounded like a gunshot to the student, who reported the incident to the college’s Department of Public Safety at around 6am. Local and state police also responded to the scene. The college alerted students and employees of the incident via text messages, voice mails and emails. Information was also sent to parents.

An all-clear message was sent at 8:30am, and activities went on as scheduled, the college’s Director of Communications Kendra Martin said. Martin said the incident was handled quickly by both the college and local law enforcment, ensuring the campus community was aware of the situation in a matter of minutes. “It was pleasing to see that response,“ said Martin.