Police: Active shooter reports at Rockford, Freeport schools part of nationwide prank
Police descended on Rockford and Freeport schools Wednesday morning in response to what was reportedly a nationwide school shooting prank.
According to the Freeport School District, schools received calls regarding a real emergency when there was no emergency.
In Rockford, police responded to East High School for reports of a shooting. In a tweet Wednesday morning, police said they believed those reports to be false and later confirmed no shooting happened.
More: Rockford Police: Shooting at high school 'looks to be false report'
Students at East High School were dismissed early following a large police presence where officers cleared the building and investigated.
"We’re working with Rockford Police as they continue to investigate. We are grateful for the quick response from Rockford Police and the cooperation from our students and staff," East High School Principal Jim Parker said in a statement following the hoax. "Students and staff are safe and accounted for. This is the best-case scenario during what could be the worst day of our lives."
Counselors, social workers and psychologists were available at East, as needed, to provide students and staff with additional support.
The Freeport School District said officers walked the building and had multiple officers on scene as a precaution.
"We were also notified by police that other area districts have received the same prank phone call this morning. While we are relieved that there was no real incident, we are not taking this lightly," the Freeport School District said in a statement on Facebook.
Freeport police said the call came in at 8:24 a.m. The caller told Freeport dispatch officers that there was an active shooter on the second floor of Freeport High School. The call came from an out-of-state area code.
A Rockford police officer was hurt in a traffic crash while responding to East High School, according to Police Chief Carla Redd. No other injuries were reported.
Redd said the bogus 911 call came into the 911 center at 8:17 AM. Police were dispatched at 8:18 AM and arrived on scene at 8:20 AM. The school was immediately placed on lockdown.
"We went on lockdown, and we did not release the building until we had an opportunity to search every inch of the building," Redd said. "We have no shooting victims whatsoever."
Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara praised the school and police department for their response.
"It is a waste of resources that we are going to waste every time for our students," McNamara said.
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Police: Gun threats at Rockford, Freeport schools part of prank
