RICHMOND — Employees and officials working around Capitol Square were ordered to shelter in place Friday morning after a report of a possible active shooter, but authorities searched two high-rise state office buildings and found no suspicious people or activities, Virginia Capitol Police said.

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       Richmond city police received a 911 call shortly after 11 a.m. about a "suspicious individual" in either the Madison or Monroe buildings, two high-rises containing many state agencies, Capitol Police spokesman Joseph Macenka said. The Capitol Police searched each building since they are owned by the state, with help from Richmond and Virginia Commonwealth University police.

       The Capitol Police tweeted at 11:33 a.m. that they had cleared the 15-story Madison Building. About 90 minutes later, the police said they had finished a sweep of the 26-story Monroe Building and issued an "all-clear."

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       The Monroe Building was built in 1981 and houses the state's treasury, education and veterans services departments, among others. The Madison Building, built in 1964, contains the state health department and other agencies.

       While most employees waited in their offices, others stood or sat outside and awaited word.

       Todd Osborne, operations manager for the state’s WIC childhood nutrition program, had no idea anything was amiss when he took the elevator from the eighth floor of the Madison Building to the ice machine just off the lobby.

       “All I know was I came down to get a cup of ice and was greeted by four armed police officers with automatic weapons,” he said. “They said, ‘You need to get out of the building, sir.’ ” He’d been outside ever since.

       Col. Anthony Pike, chief of the Capitol Police, said in a news release that he was “grateful to our law enforcement partners for their quick response in helping us today. It’s a lot of area to cover, but everyone responded immediately and worked well together to ensure the safety of our Capitol Square stakeholders.”