5 injured at vigil for Israel at University of Florida after ‘loud noise’ sparks panic

Five people were injured Monday night at the University of Florida after a loud noise disrupted a “United with Israel” vigil and sent the crowd into a panic.

The University Police Department said in a statement that someone in attendance fainted, which prompted calls for 911. “The call was misunderstood by the crowd, which dispersed in a panic,” it added.

A number of local news reports said a loud noise apparently sparked the panic, with initial accounts suggesting there were fears it was a gunshot.

“I gave a speech and a girl screamed, then everyone started running.” Noam Levi, a speaker at the vigil, told local ABC affiliate WCJB. “We didn’t hear a gunshot but we heard some sort of noise and then everyone started running.”

The Gainesville Sun reported that someone dropping a water bottle or some other item on the ground may have caused the loud noise.

The police statement said officers immediately secured the area, but that at least five people were injured in the “crowd rush.” Those individuals were treated on the scene by first responders, it added.

Attendees who left behind their belongings in the panic were escorted back to the scene to retrieve them, police said. Gainesville police and the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office also responded to the area to assist.

“We have no reason to believe that there was a malicious intent behind this incident. It was an accident that was misinterpreted by the crowd that led to panic,” campus Police Chief Linda Stump-Kurnick said in a statement.

Hundreds of students assembled at Turlington Plaza on University of Florida’s campus to condemn the recent invasion of Israel by Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared war against the group Saturday after it launched rocket strikes and entered the country in a surprise attack.

The violence has inflamed tensions on college campuses across the country between between pro-Zionist and pro-Palestinian student groups.