In what is thought to be a part of a statewide active shooter hoax, at least five Northeast Ohio schools received threats on Friday. According to Akron City Schools, one of those threats was sent to Garfield Community Learning Center on Friday after 11:30 am. The individual who called the Akron Police Department asserted that there had been a school shooting.
The caller explained, “We are stuck in our classroom. The suspect is trying to enter our classroom and try to shoot us. We just quickly bolted the door.” “Ten pupils were hurt. The suspect entered our classroom with an AK-47, wearing a white shirt, an armored body vest, and blue jeans. I will repeat it: the suspect is still there.
Families were promptly informed via the emergency contact system by the principal. According to the district, some parents arrived at the school early to pick up their children. For around 45 minutes, there was a lockdown at the school.
In a statement, principal Charles Morrison said: “The Akron Police Department responded in under a minute. The school went into lockdown mode as soon as the threat was made. Within minutes, police officers had searched the building. I appreciate the teachers’ and students’ prompt responses to the lockout.
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Around 12:30 pm, a similar call involving a threat on St. Ignatius High School was in Cleveland. The institution was on lockdown, and parents received warnings telling them to “remain tuned for more instructions.”
The school notified parents at 12:40 pm, saying: “The lockdown has been removed; the all-clear has been issued by (Cleveland Police Department). It has been found that the widespread false alert at several schools across the state is not dangerous or alarming.
Threats were also made against one school in each of the counties of Trumbull, Mahoning, and Columbiana, according to sister station WKBN. Threats were also made against schools in other parts of Ohio. Friday around 11:15 am, an active shooter was reported at Licking Valley High School, according to sister station WCMH. According to the authorities, there were no injuries, and no bullets were fired.
“It looks that this was part of a statewide pattern of fake phone calls,” the Facebook page for the Newark Division of Police states. The Cristo Rey Columbus School in Columbus and Newark City Schools both reportedly received threats, according to WCMH. According to sister station WDTN, it also made numerous threats in the Cincinnati and Dayton regions.
On Friday afternoon, the Ohio School Safety Center stated that it was aware of the threats against schools this week in Ohio and around the United States. “To assist in their efforts in looking into these concerns, the OSSC is actively collaborating with the Statewide Terrorism Analysis and Crime Center, schools, and local law enforcement.
The OSSC takes all school threats seriously and advises that schools and first responders do the same, even when some of the threats have been proven false via law enforcement inquiry. In a statement, the FBI’s Cleveland branch acknowledged that it was aware of the swatting occurrences in Northern Ohio.
