Police are questioning a person of interest in connection with the reported gunman on the California State University-Northridge campus Tuesday afternoon, officials said.

Officials identified this man as a person of interest in the reports of a gunman on the CSUN campus Tuesday (CSUN).

The LA Times reported that a male person of interest was detained Tuesday night after various law enforcement agencies conducted a search of CSUN's Delmar T. Oviatt Library and surrounding area Tuesday afternoon.

The library will reopen Wednesday at 7:45 a.m.

Police evacuated Oviatt Library and launched a search Tuesday morning after receiving a report that a white male wearing a T-shirt with the message "human rights violation" told a staff member inside the library that he was carrying a gun, Capt. Alfredo B. Fernandez of the CSUN Department of Police Servieces said.

The reported gunman appeared to be in distress, but did not make threats or display a weapon, Fernandez said.

Searches by CSUN campus police, the Los Angeles Police Department and the California Highway Patrol continued into the afternoon. 

Commenters on CSUN's Facebook page criticized the university for not closing campus after evacuating Oviatt Library.

"It's better to be safe than sorry," one student commented on an update about the manhunt. "... Unless you're 100% sure your students are safe, then you need to get them out of there."

In response, Fernandez said Oviatt Library was a large, standalone location that was easily secured, and police were confident the reported gunman was not elsewhere on campus.

“The University remains open,” the university wrote at 12:30 p.m., two hours after the gunman was reported. “Students, faculty and staff who feel uncomfortable may leave campus with proper notification to their faculty/supervisor.”

Freshman Avi Cohen, 18, said he was in the library around 11 a.m. when emergency alarms began to go off. He and the other students in the library were evacuated and told to go to class as usual.

Senior editor Laura J. Nelson can be reached here, or follow her on Twitter: @laura_nelson.