A midshipman at the U.S. Naval Academy was injured Thursday after mistaking law enforcement for an active shooter due to online misinformation. <\/p>\n
After concerns of an active shooter were posted anonymously on a chat platform, the campus in Annapolis, Md., was placed on lockdown shortly after 5 p.m. and security officials began clearing buildings, CNN reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n Even as communications from the school\u2019s commandant seen by CNN showed that there was no active shooter on campus, two midshipmen mistook security personnel for a potential shooter and refused to open their door. <\/p>\n The security then forced the door open, prompting one student to hit one official in the head with the butt end of a parade rifle, and was then shot in the arm in the struggle, a senior Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official confirmed. <\/p>\n \u201cIn response to reports of threats, the Naval Academy was placed on lockdown. Naval Support Activity Annapolis, in coordination with local law enforcement, responded to those threats,\u201d according to the DHS official.<\/p>\n \u201cDuring the lockdown, two midshipmen refused to comply with an order to open their door. The security personnel forced the door, and one was struck in the head with the butt end of a parade rifle. During the struggle, security personnel opened fire, striking one midshipman in the shoulder,\u201d they added.<\/p>\n Both injured individuals were taken from the campus to receive medical care, they said.<\/p>\n The midshipman was medevaced to the hospital by Maryland State Police and was in stable condition, ABC News reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n The incident comes amid heightened concerns<\/a> in the U.S. over political and gun violence after the Wednesday killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. <\/p>\n