Unloaded gun brandished at blindfolded frat pledges, police say
ORLANDO, Fla. -- A police report says fraternity brothers at a now-suspended University of Central Florida fraternity were uncomfortable when a pledge-master brandished an unloaded shotgun at blindfolded pledges, but did nothing to intervene.
The draft investigative report by university police released Tuesday says the Alpha Epsilon Pi pledge-master touched the gun’s barrel to a pledge’s neck during a team-building exercise at an apartment after the pledge doubted it was real and called it a “nerf gun.”
Fraternity brothers told police they were surprised the gun was used in the exercise, though at least one pledge said he didn’t feel threatened.
But an Alpha Epsilon Pi member said he had never held a gun, and that when he saw the firearm he “froze up,” CBS affiliate WKMG reports.
The incident came to light via an email sent to the UCF Police Department last month by an anonymous student, who told investigators he thought most people at the event were uncomfortable with what happened, WKMG reports.
Police forwarded the email to university officials, and Alpha Epsilon Pi, which says it promotes leadership in the Jewish community, was suspended.
Fraternity national spokesman Jonathan Pierce says the pledge-master is being expelled from the fraternity.
Alpha Epsilon Pi remains suspended as an investigation continues. UCF police were tipped about the incident in February.
