FBI aware of false active shooter calls at schools across Miami Valley, state
Two schools in the Miami Valley were hit with fake active shooter reports Tuesday.
Dayton police and fire, along with other regional police departments, responded to reports of at least one student shot at Thurgood Marshall High School, according to Dayton Police Maj. Christopher Malson. Upon making entry and searching the high school, no victims were found.
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We received a report of an incident at Thurgood Marshall High School. Officers have responded however we have found no injuries nor any indication that any incident occurred at the school.
— Dayton Police Dept. (@DaytonPolice) March 21, 2023
“The school staff didn’t know anything about it,” Malson said. “School security didn’t know anything.”
Thurgood Marshall entered a shelter-in-place at approximately 12:04 p.m. due to the hoax call, the school district said in a social media post. The shelter in place was lifted at 12:15 p.m.
“Right now our violent offenders unit detectives are tracking down where the call came in, what type of call it was, as well as trying to develop suspect information for this incident,” Malson said.
Kenton Ridge High School also entered a shelter-in-place after reports of a possible active shooter in the school Tuesday, Northeastern Local Schools Superintendent John Kronour said in a statement.
A call reporting an active shooter at Elder High School’s campus in Cincinnati Tuesday was also deemed a hoax, our news partners at WCPO reported.
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The caller claimed there was a person on the school’s campus with a gun, but dispatchers said officials at the school reported nothing out of the ordinary was happening, according to WCPO.
Iowa City Public Safety also said on Twitter Tuesday that it was aware of “swatting calls” being made across the country and in the Iowa City Community School District.
“ICPD is in communication with the Iowa City Community School District regarding ‘swatting calls’ being made across the country, including ICCSD, referencing active shooter situations in the schools,” the post said. “These calls are not credible and there is no reason for concern at this time.”
ICPD is in communication with the Iowa City Community School District regarding "swatting calls" being made across the country, including ICCSD, referencing active shooter situations in the schools.
These calls are not credible and there is no reason for concern at this time.— Iowa City Public Safety (@ICPublicSafety) March 21, 2023
The Federal Bureau of Investigations has confirmed they are aware of multiple false active shooter calls across Ohio Tuesday.
A spokesperson for the FBI issued a statement that reads:
“The FBI is aware of the numerous swatting incidents wherein a report of an active shooter at a school is made. The FBI takes swatting very seriously because it puts innocent people at risk. While we have no information to indicate a specific and credible threat, we will continue to work with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to gather, share, and act upon threat information as it comes to our attention. We urge the public to remain vigilant, and report any and all suspicious activity and/or individuals to law enforcement immediately.”
Additional false active shooter threats have been reported across Ohio.
A false report was reported at a high school in Summit County near Akron, according to our news partners at WOIO. As well as two high schools in the Columbus area, according to our news partners at WBNS.
News Center 7 will continue updating this story as we learn more.
