Clear order given after colleges in the Fenway area are briefly locked up

The colleges in Fenway District briefly locked themselves on Thursday afternoon as Boston police investigated reports of gun shots fired in the Simmons University area.

A Boston police spokeswoman said that shots had been fired in the area of ​​300 The Fenway, which is Simmons' address, entered at 14:38. The police responded but determined that there was no threat.

Detective Sergeant John Boyle, spokesperson for the Boston police, said, "No shots were fired. Police investigated and searched the area. Everyone goes back to the buildings. "

Jeremy Solomon, a spokesman for Simmons, said the police response was motivated by a student report.

"At 2:36 pm, a student from Simmons University said she heard sounds that, in her opinion, sounded like shots," Solomon said in a statement. "As a precaution, a lockdown was ordered. The Boston police conducted a thorough search of the university campus and found no evidence of a shot. The All Clear was released at 15:09. "

At approximately 3:35 pm, the Simmons police tweeted, "CLEAR – please resume your normal activities." A Simmons spokesperson did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Meanwhile, other schools in the area have taken precautions.

A spokeswoman for MassArt said the college was "locked out because of this report" and then asked the police further questions. A MassArt Twitter message posted around 3pm. "Campus and resident halls are locked. Shelter in place. Please stay tuned for other updates. "

Emmanuel College, another area school, posted on his site a message saying, "Police activity near Boston Latin School. Shelter in place. This is not an exercise. More information to follow.

Emmanuel and MassArt published very clear messages shortly after Simmons.

Boston Latin has also gone into safe mode, according to Boston Public Schools.

"The Boston Latin School was safely cautious between 2:45 and 3:38 pm," BPS spokesman Daniel O'Brien said in an e-mail. "About 200 students were inside the building at the time. The school was sent back around 2:15 am. "

You can contact Travis Andersen at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @TAGlobe.