A television employee prompted the evacuation of a Nexstar Media Group-owned broadcast station on Tuesday after they allegedly sent a threatening note that referenced a firearm.
The incident happened around 10 a.m. Eastern Time, when the now-former Nexstar worker allegedly sent the note to a colleague by e-mail at WDCW-TV (Channel 50, CW), whose offices are located along the 2100 block of Wisconsin Avenue.
When local law enforcement officers arrived, they quickly evacuated the building and searched the third floor newsroom of the television station.
No gun was located, and employees were allowed back into the television station about a half-hour later.
Later in the day, station officials held a video conference call with employees to recap the situation. During the call, the station’s general manager reportedly told employees that the worker had been fired.
A source familiar with the incident told the website FTV Live that the employee who allegedly made the threat was a new hire, and had only been on the job for about a week. The Desk was unable to confirm the name of the employee at the time of publication.
The building that houses WDCW’s main studios also includes a number of unrelated businesses, including several physical therapy offices and the corporate headquarters of a law firm that specializes in health care litigation.
Nexstar acquired WDCW through its purchase of Tribune Media in 2019.
