Scary moments for students and parents across the state of New York, as law enforcement responded to multiple reports of an active shooter in schools.
In the Capital Region, half a dozen schools in Albany and Rensselaer County went into an immediate lock down over reports of an active shooter. One district still had students on the bus when the lock down was initiated.
Law enforcement on the city and county level responded, with districts taking to social media to warn of the lock down and request parents not to come to the school.
Schools in Rome and Utica also found themselves under lock down as calls came into 911 call centers during the 10:00 a.m. hour.
The Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office confirmed a similar incident at Westhill High School in Syracuse for a case of swatting.
Schools in the Rochester area, Brighton and Brockport were also among the local school districts targeted by the calls Thursday morning.
Swatting calls affected school districts across Massachusetts, including Pittsfield back on Tuesday.
Swatting is where someone or computerized calls are made to police or 911 to falsely report incidents, resulting in authorities to respond to a location.
FBI Officials said in November, 2022 that they had identified calls to about 250 colleges, 100 high schools and several junior high schools just since early June falsely reporting explosive devices being planted at the schools or saying that a shooting was imminent.
The FBI, as well as police in the jurisdiction of all schools that were reportedly swatted are investigating. Many schools continue to have a heavy police presence as students resume their school day.
The FBI in Albany released a statement:
We urge the public to remain vigilant, and report any and all suspicious activity and/or individuals to law enforcement immediately.
"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."
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