Federal, state authorities investigate who’s behind fake shooting calls at dozens of SC schools
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Gov. Henry McMaster wrote a letter Friday to South Carolina Law Enforcement Division requesting that the agency works with local law enforcement and public school districts to analyze the response to a string of threats against schools across the state on Wednesday.
Several fake calls were made to 911 centers across the state, claiming active shooters were inside more than a dozen schools. That led to a massive response by law enforcement agencies to local South Carolina schools that left students and families worried.
“According to media coverage of the hoax calls, hundreds of law enforcement officers and first responders immediately rushed to the schools, some officers made it to campus and were inside the school buildings within two minutes,” the governor wrote in his letter. “I believe this situation provides our state’s law enforcement agencies with a rare opportunity to learn from this unprecedented incident; to learn what worked best and what can be improved upon.”
School districts quickly assessed the situation earlier in the week.
“We understand this was a traumatizing situation. We actually had an administrator that went into each classroom to have a discussion and debriefing with each child,” said Bryan Vaughn, with the Lancaster County School District.
The district said it is still working with investigators on the fake 911 call that forced officers to search South Middle School and Brooklyn Springs Elementary for an active shooter. Chopper 9 Skyzoom flew over the schools in Lancaster County Wednesday, where a large police presence could be seen.
Similar hoax calls also came into Chester County’s 911 center and the Rock Hill Police Department.
The head of York County 911 told Channel 9′s Tina Terry that hoax calls like that are very rare but very serious. Allen Brandon said when a situation like this happens, multiple agencies work together to make sure justice is served.
“Yesterday the hoax call that came in it went out to a number of counties, probably 15 counties in South Carolina and impacted a little more than 20 schools, so it was a great disruption. And with that being said, I think it’s more important for us to find out where that came from and that’s why state and federal entities are certainly interested in those calls and where they came from,” Brandon said Thursday.
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Officials could not comment on Wednesday’s cases but said call centers in Lancaster and York counties have technology that allow them to see certain details about 911 calls. And they’re giving all the information that can to investigators.
“Anytime you file a false report, there’s consequences and you could be jailed,” said Robert Purser, Lancaster County Public Safety Director.
School officials said 104 children were absent from South Middle School Thursday. On a normal day, that number would be around 20.
At this point, SLED and local authorities said no arrests have been reported.
(WATCH BELOW: Authorities respond to several schools across SC after false reports of active shooters)
