Crime

Turns out the gun that sent a Massachusetts college campus into full lockdown mode wasn't real at all -- cops say it was an airsoft replica carried by a juvenile, sparking hours of chaos and fear across campus.

The scare erupted Wednesday on the campus of UMass Lowell when video circulated on social media of a person near a dorm holding what looked like a firearm. Students immediately barricaded themselves inside classrooms and residence halls while heavily armed cops swarmed the university.

On Thursday, Lowell Police confirmed the weapon had been recovered and it was nothing more than an airsoft gun. The suspect, a juvenile, has since been identified.

11:20 AM PT -- Just hours after Virginia's brother spoke out and called for Congress to release the files, the House of Representatives approved a resolution formally authorizing the Oversight Committee's ongoing investigation.

The House also authorized the release of "all unclassified committee records received from the Attorney General, the Secretary of the Treasury, and the Epstein estate, and any other custodians related to the investigation described in this resolution, as well as any written declarations, or other evidence that relates to the investigation described in this resolution."

Virginia Giuffre's brother is drawing a clear line in the sand as members of Congress try to force a vote on releasing the Jeffrey Epstein files ... he says anyone who opposes the effort is on the side of rich and powerful abusers.

Sky Roberts made an emotional plea to lawmakers Wednesday during a press conference on Capitol Hill, where Epstein survivors called on Congress to make the files public.

Sky's sister Virginia is the most famous victim of Epstein's sex-trafficking ring ... and she died in April at 41 in what police in Australia said was suicide, though her family doubts she took her own life.

William A. Noguera didn’t just sit and rot on death row, he flipped a killer friendship into one of the FBI’s biggest breakthroughs ... and now he’s laying it all out for us.

On "TMZ Live" Tuesday, Noguera broke it down to us ... how he cozied up to Joseph Naso -- the infamous "Alphabet Killer," a killer on par with Ted Bundy and Richard Ramirez in murder numbers -- earning his trust, until Naso began spilling details about countless other kills.

Catch the full clip ... Noguera details the chilling breadcrumb trail -- hundreds of handwritten notes that spurred an FBI task force, ultimately tying Naso to more than 20 murders ... far beyond the 4 for which he was convicted.

If Jaylen Brown has thoughts on his father's attempted murder case, he's opting to keep them to himself.

The NBA superstar was peppered on Tuesday with questions about his dad's Aug. 20 arrest while he was out at LAX ... but he declined to answer any of them.

It's, of course, entirely possible the Boston Celtics forward doesn't have an opinion on the matter, as TMZ Sports is told he and Marselles Brown are not close.

Kristin Cavallari is kicking off the new school year by detailing her "bad girl era" ... and she says it all started when she was only in 4th grade.

Check it out ... on today's episode of Cavallari's "Let's Be Honest Podcast," she told her millions of listeners her 4th-grade teacher read through her diary, which had the word f*** written in it.

The reality star disclosed her 8th grade school year later became the "turning point" for her rebellious ways ... faking sickness and calling out, piercing her bellybutton with safety pins, taking trains without an adult, and quaffing airplane bottles of booze at school.

Florida State University is in shock after freshman linebacker Ethan Pritchard was shot while visiting family in Florida.

The school said the college freshman was rushed to a local hospital Sunday night and remains in the ICU in “critical but stable” condition. The Gadsden County Sheriff’s Office told WCTV the shooting happened before 10 PM near the Havana Heights Apartments, where Pritchard was found shot inside a vehicle before EMS rushed him to the hospital.

"The Pritchard family is thankful for the support from so many people, as well as the care from first responders and medical professionals, and asks that their privacy be respected at this time," the Seminoles said in a statement.

The team's coach Mike Norvell said at a press conference Sunday this was a tragic event and their thoughts and prayers are with Ethan and his family. He said he visited Ethan and his family in the hospital Saturday night and is grateful for the medical professionals taking care of him.

Robin Westman -- the shooter who killed two children at the Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis this week -- went through a breakup shortly before going on the rampage ... according to new documents.

The Minneapolis Police Department released a report Friday about a conversation officers had with James Westman -- Robin's father. They say James told them Robin recently broke up with a significant other and had been staying with a friend after the split.

We spoke to a neighbor who said they've known the Westmans for years ... and, the neighbor tells us this relationship was tumultuous at times -- adding that Robin's parents begged Robin to end it.

Robin Westman -- who killed 2 kids and injured 17 people in a targeted shooting at a Catholic church in Minneapolis Wednesday -- reportedly wrote a long-winded manifesto and uploaded a number of strange videos prior to the attack.

According to CNN ... investigators are currently examining -- and trying to authenticate -- YouTube videos allegedly posted by the shooter in order to gain more insight into a possible motive for the violence.

The videos in question -- and the account itself -- have since been taken down, but Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara told reporters Westman had a "manifesto" scheduled to be published on YouTube Wednesday ... when authorities say Westman shot into morning Mass at Annunciation Catholic Church with a rifle, a shotgun and a pistol.

2:13 PM PT -- Court documents obtained by TMZ Sports state Shaq Mason's Wednesday morning arrest stemmed from a violent incident he had with the mother of his child at her Franklin, Tenn. home.

According to the docs, Mason broke into the woman's residence at around 3:11 AM, made his way into her bedroom and choked her out. He then allegedly punched the woman in the mouth, before stating "he was going to kill her."

Police officers wrote in the docs they noticed a "fresh laceration" on the woman's bottom lip during questioning. They also stated Mason went on to send a selfie to the woman with a text that read "Im gonna kill you."

Mason, who's still in police custody as of late Wednesday afternoon, is tentatively due in court for a hearing on the matter in October.

NFL offensive lineman Shaq Mason -- who helped Tom Brady and the Patriots win two Super Bowls -- was arrested in Tennessee on Wednesday.

The man involved in a violent parking lot dispute with Jaylen Brown's father, Marselles, faces a long and challenging road to recovery ... this according to his team, which stated this week the incident has "changed his life."

The Las Vegas youth football organization shared an update on Tuesday ... almost a week after the former boxer was arrested for allegedly stabbing coach Cross Tupuola at All American Park.

"Cross Tupuola, our beloved brother, uncle, football coach, and proud father. Recently suffered a horrific tragedy that changed his life for him and his family in an instant," the team said on Instagram.

3:35 PM PT -- L.A. DA Nathan Hochman issued a press release confirming that Lil Nas X injured 3 police officers and faces up to 5 years in state prison if convicted on the charges.

Lil Nas X is back on the street ... but he's not walking home naked down Ventura Blvd. ... he's riding around in a Jeep dressed in his blue jail jumpsuit after posting bail.

The "Old Town Road" rapper was just freed on $75,000 bond and we got him leaving a county jail in Van Nuys ... and he was in no mood to talk to our photog.

Nas beelined it for a white Jeep that was parked waiting for him ... climbing in the back seat and driving off as paparazzi chased after him.

10:46 AM PT -- Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Katt Williams was not present when the shooting went down. Despite sharing the same last name, Tranell and Katt are not related.

The man cops suspect of gunning down comedian Reggie Carroll has been identified ... and TMZ has the mug shot.

Police in Mississippi, where Reggie was shot dead Wednesday, tell TMZ ... the murder suspect is a 38-year-old man named Tranell Williams.

Online records show Williams was arrested Thursday by the Southaven Police Department and he was booked for murder.

Lil Nas X's nearly naked adventure was brewing almost 15 hours before his early morning arrest ... based on a new strange video of him wandering aimlessly around Hollywood!

TMZ Hip Hop obtained this surveillance footage recorded outside the Short Stories Hotel around 1:30 PM Wednesday. Sources at the hotel confirm he was there, although he was not a registered guest.

Still, the video makes it seem like he was going through something -- you see Montero all by himself strolling off the street, and into the hotel's courtyard area.

The man convicted of stalking Caitlin Clark insisted to FBI agents over and over again days before his arrest that he had nothing more than "an imaginary relationship" with the WNBA superstar ... new police video, obtained by TMZ Sports, shows.

The body camera footage was captured outside of an Indianapolis hotel room on Jan. 8 -- after authorities accused Michael Lewis of "sending numerous threats and sexually explicit messages" to Clark beginning on Dec. 12, 2024.

In the clip, you can see a couple FBI agents -- along with multiple Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers -- questioning Lewis for several minutes about his concerning social media posts.

Boston Celtics superstar Jaylen Brown's dad -- former boxer Marselles Brown -- was arrested for attempted murder after allegedly stabbing a youth football coach in parking lot dispute, TMZ Sports has learned.

Las Vegas Metro Police is investigating a stabbing that went down at All American Park on Wednesday ... stating two men were in a verbal altercation over a parking space when the suspect stabbed the victim multiple times in the stomach.

According to the arrest report we obtained ... the alleged victim's girlfriend actually told cops it was over Brown dinging their vehicle with the door of a Lincoln Navigator as he got out of the passenger side.

Andy Reid was reportedly almost hit by gunfire while he was in his office at the Kansas City Chiefs' practice facility last year.

According to The Kansas City Star, a bullet pierced through the coach's window back on May 4, 2024 and lodged itself in a wall near his bathroom -- some 15 feet from his desk.

Fortunately, the outlet says no one -- including the three-time Super Bowl-winning head coach -- was injured during the incident.