GE Appliances explains what caused active shooter reports at Louisville facility

The report of an active shooter at the GE Appliance Park facility on Buechel Bank Road which caused employee evacuations Thursday morning turned out to be a false alarm, officials said.

According to a statement from the company, the facility's security team received a call from emergency medical services about "a potential active shooter" at 11:15 a.m. after an employee heard an unfamiliar alarm go off in the building. That employee then evacuated and contacted a family member, who then contacted dispatchers.

A worker inside the facility also contacted The Courier Journal to report the situation.

"Per our process, security activated the active aggressor alarms and texted employees out of an abundance of caution," officials said.

Representatives with GE Appliances told Louisville Metro Police officers that the alarm is part of the operations of the building and there was never a threat to the safety of employees.

"The 911 call that was made was not a malicious call, but a misunderstanding of what was happening," LMPD spokesperson Aaron Ellis said.

Employees were evacuated from the building while the scene was under investigation but were later given the all-clear to return.

The manufacturing facility GE Appliance Park has called Louisville home for 70 years and produces dishwashers, washers, dryers, and refrigerators.

Ana Rocío Álvarez Bríñez contributed to this article. Contact business reporter Olivia Evans at oevans@courier-journal.com or on Twitter at @oliviamevans_.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Reports of active shooter inside GE Appliances were false, LMPD says