Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma all saw false reports Thursday of active shooters at schools
A false report of an active shooter Thursday at Topeka's Hayden Catholic High School was among a rash of similar calls reported that day in Kansas, Oklahoma and Missouri.
The FBI is investigating whether there might be a link between those calls, which apparently were made as part of a practice called "swatting," said Bridget Patton, an agent with its field office in Kansas City, Mo.
Similar false reports were made Thursday in cities that included Wichita; Kansas City, Kan.; North Kansas City, Mo.; and Oklahoma City.
No arrests had been made in connection with Thursday's false report in Topeka.
It was called in about 1:30 p.m. to the Shawnee County Emergency Communications Center, said Gretchen Spiker, communications director for Topeka's city government.
School was in session at the time at Hayden, which responded by going into lockdown, said Hayden President Shelly Buhler.
Law enforcement officers responded and "cleared the school and surrounding area," Spiker said.
"No threats to the students, staff or school were discovered," she said, adding that Topeka police wanted to assure the community "that everyone is safe."
The FBI takes swatting very seriously because it puts innocent people at risk, Patton said.
"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," she said. "We urge the public to remain vigilant, and report any and all suspicious activity and/or individuals to law enforcement immediately."
Tim Hrenchir can be reached at threnchir@gannett.com or 785-213-5934.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: False school shootings reported in KS, including Topeka's Hayden High
