Officials say it appears that the worst thing that happened on campus yesterday was a fight.

But some students still claim that shots were fired on campus yesterday morning.

Five students were taken into custody in connection with a fight on South Campus yesterday morning that continued to the south end of the main campus, said Howard Bailey, vice president for student affairs, at a press conference.

Police said those people have been released, said Bob Skipper, director of media relations.

Police received calls yesterday morning that there were armed men on South Campus and shots had been fired there and near Pearce-Ford Tower, Bailey said.

Those claims appear to be untrue, he said.

At least four of the five detainees are students at South Campus, Bailey said. There haven’t been any arrests.

After the press conference, Louisville freshmen Sarah Pehlke and Missy Seewer approached campus Police Chief Robert Deane and Maj. Mike Wallace, field operations commander, and said that they heard shots fired.

The students said they were in Bemis Lawrence Hall when they saw a fight taking place outside.

Pehlke and Seewer said they saw a male lift a gun and heard two shots.

The crowd of 50 to 60 people that had gathered around the fight then scattered before police arrived, they said.

Deane and Wallace declined to comment immediately. Wallace couldn’t be reached for comment later in the day.

President Gary Ransdell said Pehlke and Seewer have been questioned, but their claims haven’t been validated.

People closer to the scene didn’t agree that shots were fired, and no one else has stepped forward, he said. The students also couldn’t identify anyone involved.

University officials met last night to brief Ransdell on the incident, Skipper said. Ransdell had been on vacation and returned to campus yesterday night.

Ransdell will discuss the incident at a press conference today at 10 a.m., Skipper said. The press conference will probably take place in Downing University Center.

Ransdell said the press conference will provide information on the incident based on what officials learned overnight.

There were reports of four people with weapons at South Campus earlier in the day, according to a police officer on the scene.

Campus, state and Bowling Green police all reported to the scene.

South Campus was evacuated, and police conducted a room-by-room search, said an officer at the scene.

One person was injured while trying to break up the fight at PFT. He was taken in an ambulance to Bowling Green Medical Center, said Robbin Taylor, vice president for public affairs.

Deane requested that the campus be secured after hearing about the reports, meaning the doors to buildings were locked, but no one was kept from leaving, Taylor said.

Police set up a perimeter around PFT and stopped students from getting through.

Two text messages were sent to students. The first said that there were armed men on South Campus, and the second said that there were shots fired near PFT.

The all clear was given at about 3 p.m., and all classes were cancelled yesterday afternoon.

Officials think the incident was a continuation of a fight at a social event on Saturday night hosted by Black Men of Western, Bailey said. No organization members were involved.

Bailey said, at this point, he doesn’t think Western did anything wrong by reporting that shots were fired because that was the information available at the time.

“This institution is committed to the safety of all of our citizens. We are always going to do what is in the best interest of those citizens,” he said.

There’s no evidence that the fights were gang-related, Bailey said. The detained subjects don’t have previous records.

In September, there were shots fired at PFT, but no one was injured.

Students weren’t notified of that incident until more than eight hours after it happened.

Bailey said the two incidents weren’t related.

Ransdell said he’s pleased with the university’s reaction.

“We took what information we had and acted efficiently, promptly and thoroughly,” he said. “The message here is that aggressive behavior will be taken seriously, and it’s got consequences that go way beyond the individuals involved.”

Western’s trying to sort fact from fiction to decide who was actually involved, he said.

Reach Michelle Day at news@chherald.com.