Okemos High School hoax: What we know about false school shooting report
MERIDIAN TWP. − Students were released from all Okemos School District buildings on Tuesday morning after someone called 911 to report a shooting at the high school. The call was a hoax.
Here's what we know:
The report was a hoax
No shots were fired and no violence happened at Okemos High School or any other school building, police and school officials said.
Meridian Township Police Chief Ken Plaga said the dispatch center received one call reporting a shooting shortly after 9 a.m. Police and fire personnel were on the scene within 3 minutes and swept the school twice, but found no indication that any violence occurred, he and other officials said.
Plaga said law enforcement officers have confirmed the phone number from where the call originated and they are continuing to investigate where the caller would have been located.
Students sent home; all events canceled
Okemos school officials said staff followed the district's emergency lockdown procedures. Students were later evacuated from the high school, and students in all other district buildings also were sent home early. All after-school and evening events on Tuesday were canceled across the district. All classes will be canceled Wednesday as well.
“Keeping our kids and staff safe is an incredible responsibility that we take very, very seriously. We have safety protocols that are in place and practiced regularly throughout our system, K-12," Superintendent John Hood said. "Our students and staff did a remarkable job implementing those, without question, from the beginning to the reunification with parents at the end of the event today.”
Schools officials said mental health counselors will be available at all school buildings from noon to 2 p.m. Wednesday for students and parents. Counselors also will be available when schools reopen Thursday.
Similar calls happened elsewhere in Michigan on Tuesday
Officials said similar false shooting reports were made to schools in the Jackson, Battle Creek, Ann Arbor, Portage, Saginaw, Muskegon and Detroit districts on Tuesday, but none of the claims proved to be true.
Jackson Public Schools was in lockdown Tuesday morning after school officials said they received a hoax call from an unknown Google number. On Facebook, the district said a lockdown had been lifted around 9:30 a.m. Students were released early.
“We are working in conjunction with other law enforcement agencies to find this person and bring criminal charges,” Plaga said during a press conference Tuesday.
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Swatting calls put at least 8 Michigan schools on alert Tuesday; officials say that's rare
'Swatting' is a crime in various forms
A prank call intended to draw police to a specific location is known as "swatting" and can result in various charges ranging from a 93-day misdemeanor to a 20-year felony, state Attorney General Dana Nessel said in a news release.
The most serious charge is communicating a threat of terrorism, a maximum 20-year felony. Potential charges also include making a false report resulting in death (maximum 15-year felony), making a false report resulting in serious injury (maximum 10-year felony), making a false report resulting in injury (maximum 5-year felony) or calling in a bomb threat (maximum four-year felony).
Possible misdemeanor charges include threatening violence against a school employee or student (up to a year in jail), malicious use of a telecommunications device (up to six months) and making a false crime report (up to 93 days).
Ingham County Prosecutor John Dewane urged anyone with knowledge of the incident to come forward so the perpetrator can be held accountable.
“These reports are terrifying to teachers, parents, students, community members, law enforcement and anyone who has a loved one inside an education building” Dewane said in a news release. “Any threat of violence against our schools, even when deemed to be false, should be addressed to the fullest extent of the law. This was no mere hoax or victimless prank. For many students and their families, the terror was all too real.”
Police: Hoax calls may be connected
Meridian Township Police Chief Ken Plaga said Ingham County Central Dispatch received one 911 call reporting the incident shortly after 9 a.m. Police were on the scene within 3 minutes, he said Tuesday afternoon.
Plaga said law enforcement officers have confirmed the phone number from where the call originated and they are continuing to investigate where the caller would have been located.
Assistant Special Agent in Charge David Porter, of the Grand Rapids FBI office, said agents are working with Michigan State Police and other agencies to investigate the calls that falsely reported active shooters at schools throughout Michigan, including Okemos. All were made around the same time on Tuesday morning, and officials are working to determine if they're connected and who made the calls.
Contact Ken Palmer at kpalmer@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @KBPalm_lsj.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Okemos High School shooting threat hoax cancels classes
