Updated: July 15, 2016 at 10:08 p.m.

A man authorities believed to be armed with an assault rifle near campus was an off-duty special police officer, according to a tweet by the Metropolitan Police Department.

Police initially said the man was in the area of 24th Street and New Hampshire Avenue and walking toward Pennsylvania Avenue, according an alert sent at 8:20 p.m. Friday.

The man was described as black, 5′ 9″ inches tall, medium build and wearing a white T-shirt with a slogan that that reads “I” followed by a heart symbol and a image of an assault rifle, according to a photo of the suspect released by GW Safety and Security.

He was allegedly wearing an armor vest under his shirt and possibly a gun belt. Police believed he was carrying an M16 assault rifle, according to the initial alert.