What we know about the fake shooting threats that sent police to Delaware schools Thursday
Fake school shooting threats made to police departments statewide led to the increased presence of law enforcement at schools Thursday across Delaware.
As school continues Friday, here's what we know about some of the biggest questions people had about the incidents.
Was anyone hurt?
No, the threats were all false. Some schools went into lockdown or "soft lockdown," in which classes continue, but there was no actual shooter.
Why did someone make the threats?
State police said the shooting threats were a form of "swatting," a crime in which someone makes a prank call to emergency responders to generate a large police or EMS response in a certain area.
MORE:Schools across Delaware, elsewhere nationwide report hoax shooting threats Thursday
Who did it?
State police said on Thursday afternoon that they are still investigating and are offering a $5,000 reward to anyone with information that leads to an arrest.
Anyone with information about the shooting threats is encouraged to contact Delaware Crime Stoppers at 800-847-3333.
What Delaware schools were impacted?
Messages about increased police presence were sent out by school districts across the state.
These included Appoquinimink, Red Clay Consolidated, Colonial, Christina and Indian River school districts, as well as the Bancroft School in Wilmington.
Was this just in Delaware?
No. State police confirmed that similar threats were made toward schools nationwide on Thursday.
Are schools in Delaware safe?
All public and charter schools in the First State are required by law to have a school safety plan. They work with the Comprehensive School Safety Program to develop emergency courses of action and practice drills with students and staff. The law also requires schools to have two lockdown drills and one "table top exercise" about responding to an intruder every year.
Will there be more police in schools going forward?
While Thursday saw increased police presence at schools, a Delaware State Police spokesperson said Thursday evening that there are no plans for additional police in the following days unless there is an emergency.
Many public schools already have school resource officers stationed there.
Send story tips or ideas to Hannah Edelman at hedelman@delawareonline.com. For more reporting, follow them on Twitter at @h_edelman.
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Delaware schools: What we know about Thursday's fake shooting threats
