At least five people were injured at the University of Florida Monday night after students at a vigil for victims of the attacks on Israel panicked and fled after being startled by shouts to call 911 for a student who had fainted.
University of Florida Police said the injured students were treated at the scene by Gator Emergency Medical Response Unit and Gainesville Fire Rescue. Earlier reports of loud sounds that may have alarmed the crowd were dismissed by law enforcement.
Hundreds of students had assembled on Turlington Plaza Monday when someone in the crowd fainted at about 8:55 p.m. which led others to shout out for people to call 911. The calls were misunderstood, according to UPD, and triggered what some witnesses described as a stampede.
"We have no reason to believe that there was malicious intent behind this incident," said UPD Chief Linda Stump-Kurnick. "It was an accident that was misinterpreted by the crowd that led to panic."
Gainesville police closed the area on Turlington Plaza – the site of the university’s iconic Century Tower – and fire rescue units rushed to the scene. The Alachua County Sheriff's Office responded to the area to assist.
Discarded shoes and hats littered the scene after students fled. After the site was secured, police escorted students to Turlington Plaza to retrieve their belongings. Anyone unable to retrieve their items can go to the UF Public Safety Building at 1555 Museum Road on Tuesday.
The university said in a statement that a group of students had “dispersed for an unknown reason” and urged everyone to stay away from the area.
Just before 10 p.m., the university said in a message that minor injuries had been reported and that law enforcement was finishing its sweep of the area.
The university has the largest population of Jewish students of all public universities in the United States, with nearly 6,500 students. The campus of nearly 50,000 students also has active groups of students who have protested Israel’s treatment of Palestinians in the region.
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