Multiple schools in north Alabama went on high alert Tuesday morning after receiving phone calls about a potential active shooter situation.
Law enforcement responded to calls at Jemison High School in Huntsville, Scottsboro High School, West Morgan High School and Wilson High School in Lauderdale County but found no evidence of a shooter or threat. With similar calls being made to other schools across the country — including in Atlanta, Montana and New Hampshire — investigators now believe the threats were a potential hoax.
“[P]olice received a report related to a possible threat at our school. We immediately implemented our safety and security procedures by placing the campus on lockdown as law enforcement conducted a search of the building,” Huntsville City Schools said in a statement. "Following the lockdown, students and staff evacuated the building to an off-site location nearby as police finalized the search. There were no concerns discovered during the search. Authorities determined the threat did not appear to be credible.”
Madison County Schools (MCS) also issued a statement regarding the morning’s false alarms, saying, “As you are probably aware, Huntsville City Schools, Morgan County Schools, and Jackson County Schools all received prank calls today [Tuesday, Dec. 13] alerting them to an 'active shooter' on their campuses. Based on the information we have obtained, there was no active threat in these districts. This appears to be someone trying to cause alarm. The Madison Police Department and our SROs are aware and are prepared to respond to any emergency or incident. If our schools receive any type of threat, we will respond by placing a school in ‘Lockdown’ and follow our MCS lockdown protocol. We will also communicate if such an activity takes place at a school in MCS.”
The Morgan County Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook post that at least one of the hoax calls was made from an Ohio area code.
Lauderdale County Schools said Wilson Elementary School also went on lockdown but has since been given the all-clear along with the high school.
To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email daniel.taylor@1819news.com.
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