At 12:45 a.m. on Oct. 15, an unknown caller threatened several students at Loyola’s Crescent City Radio.

The studio crew – which included Greg Hopkins, philosophy freshman, Andrew Poland, political science sophomore, Emile Debarbieris, biology freshman, Courtney Roosevelt, criminal justice freshman, and Huntleigh Gilbard, political science freshman – was conversing as Roosevelt and Debarbieris played a trivia game.

The crew was taking phone calls through the tenure of the game, but the mood became awkward almost as soon as the caller, who identified himself as ‘Horace,’ started speaking. ‘Horace’ started off by saying that he was masturbating and watching porn, then he blurted his threat out, making a reference to a gun and stating that he will “rain down the fire” as soon as the students walked out of the station. Gilbard asked who he was threatening and ‘Horace’ responded with, “All of you.” Poland, the station president, then picked up the phone and continued to speak to ‘Horace,’ who then hung up. Poland then called Loyola University Police Department and locked the doors.

Gilbard described the callers voice as deep with a southern drawl. He also mentioned that he cursed and sounded like he was drunk or on drugs.

Soon after they were called, the police arrived at the Communications/Music Complex and immediately evacuated the studio. They then searched the building and locked it after several other people were found in the building. Everyone from the building was then driven back to their dorms. Later that night, the students were asked to come to the station to file statements for both LUPD and the New Orleans Police Department. Threats of this kind are treated as a felony.

Station manager and advisor, Jay Crutti, who heard about the incident later that night, states that although it did not seem to be serious, it needed to be treated as such. The incident was the most serious threat made on the show, far beyond any others because the caller specified his target, time and place, and because it called for police involvement. Internet protocol addresses of everyone who was listening that night on campus have been gathered for further investigation.

Gilbard has brushed it off as a prank call, saying he felt unthreatened by the tone of the caller’s voice. “I live every day like it’s my last,” Gilbard said as he planned for his next show. He doesn’t feel that his personal safety for any future show is threatened. “If I didn’t do my show, that looney-tune would win.”

Gilbard’s show is called Indy Corner and airs from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. on Wednesday nights. The show has put the incident on YouTube.

Garrett Cleland can be reached at [email protected].