Hofstra University students were given a scare Wednesday night when a shooting near campus prompted a warning from school officials to stay indoors.

The shooting occurred at the drive-through of a Popeyes restaurant off Hempstead Turnpike down the block from campus. A 20-year-old man was in his car when another man approached the passenger side window and tried to talk to him. When the driver ignored him, cops say the man pulled out a gun and fired four rounds into the car, hitting the driver twice.

Text messages went out to all of the students. The message told of the shooting and advised everyone to stay indoors as a precaution.

?We felt that since it was in the vicinity of our campus, it was important for us to notify our students, to give everybody all the information that was available and give them the tools to keep themselves safe,? Melissa Connolly, vice president for Hofstra University relations, says.

The university says Wednesday was the first time it used the text message alert system in response to a shooting in the area and many students say they thought it worked very well.

Police say the gunman is still on the loose and confirm the shooting had nothing to do with the restaurant or Hofstra. Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS.