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Hamilton College lock down ended

belsondesign.com
The Kirner-Johnson building at Hamilton College

Updated, 5:57 p.m.

After conducting a thorough sweep with bomb-sniffing dogs, the New York State Police recommended that Hamilton College fully lift its shelter-in-place order.

Updated, 5:35 p.m.

College officials say canine units are still searching building on the South Campus, which remains locked down. The shelter-in-place order has been lifted for North Campus.

Updated, 3:25 p.m.:

The suspicious package found in Kirner-Johnson Hall at Hamilton College has been deemed by police to not be a threat, according to the college. Police are now doing another sweep of the building using bomb-sniffing dogs, the school said. The lock down is still in place at this time.

Original Post: 

Hamilton College is in lock down this afternoon with some buildings being evacuated and classes canceled due to a threat of violence and a suspicious package found on the small college's campus in Clinton.

College administrators say the school received a threat of a bomb and campus shooting at 9:45 a.m. Shortly after, the school says a suspicious package was found in Kirner-Johnson Hall, an administrative building. The lock down notice first went out around 11 a.m.

The state police are leading the investigation, with the help of local police and the county sheriff, the school said. A special unit was called in from Albany to investigate the package, arriving around 2:30 p.m. A search is on for a possible shooter on campus, according to authorities.

Several buildings on the college's south campus were evacuated around noon while the school is advising others on campus to shelter in place. The lock down is expected to last a few more hours, the school said.

The college is posting updates on the situation to its website and the school's Twitter feed.

About 1,800 students are enrolled in the small liberal arts college in Oneida County.