Normal activity resumes at Virginia Commonwealth University

People were advised to avoid the area and police were on the scene, the alert message said.

Cops in Richmond, Virginia, are on campus at Virginia Commonwealth University while they investigate reports about an armed man on campus.

The scare comes just one day after a gunman opened fire at Umpqua Community College in Oregon, killing nine and injuring nine more in the worst mass shooting in the state’s recent history.

Police searched for the man – initially described by the campus alert system as “Male, Square Military Style Hat, Backpack” – but found no one matching the description.

The statement said that at approximately 9.50AM, the Richmond and VCU Police Departments received reports of an armed subject off campus, standing on the 2nd Street overpass with what appeared to be a rifle.

An alert on the university’s website tells students, staff and visitors to report unusual activity to police.

In total, there are almost 30,000 students at VCU and almost 15,000 staff, according to the school’s website.