People have been trained to panic first and seek details later.
As the great philosopher Pogo said “We have met the enemy and he is us.”
Chattanooga police say person at center of UTC campus search was off-duty officer
https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/...mc5DkKgGc3-Vqk
This is also a good example of the effects of the “ telephone game” and why initial reports are often wrong in such situations:"After locating the person who made the original 911 call and confirming more firsthand information, Chattanooga police determined it was one of their own officers who was carrying his rifle from his vehicle to his house after his shift. He was in full uniform and was going home to sleep, Roddy said.
But in a twist, that same officer responded to the very SWAT call he sparked and was helping in the search. Police didn't say how he reacted when he learned he'd been searching for himself."
Word spread rapidly across social media and by phone calls and text messages, much of which was inaccurate. Police confirmed they'd received unsubstantiated reports of the suspect wearing a ski mask and tactical gear or having been seen in separate locations.
The original 911 caller did not mention a ski mask or tactical gear, police said. In fact, police said he told dispatchers that he thought it could have been a police officer but he couldn't be sure.