CHAPPAQUA, N.Y. (1010 WINS) — New York State Police are investigating a series of swatting incidents across New York school districts Thursday morning, continuing a nationwide trend this week in the aftermath of Monday's deadly school shooting in Nashville.
"All of the reports are unfounded," the NYSP said in a tweet. "We are working alongside our federal & local partners to investigate the threats."
Westchester County officials from school districts across the county received fake active shooter calls, as did Putnam County.
Westchester County Executive George Latimer said on Newsline With Brigitte Quinn that about a dozen school districts across the county were affected by the "disturbing" trend Thursday.
In Chappaqua, Superintendent Christine Ackerman said in a statement that Horace Greeley High School went into lockdown Thursday morning after North Castle police received an anonymous call reporting a shooting there.
"This phone call was made with the intention to alarm and scare people, causing unnecessary panic and concern," she said. "We take these incidents very seriously and our priority is always to ensure the safety and well-being of our students and staff."
Mamaroneck Free Union School District in Westchester County said in a statement that it too "received word this morning from local law enforcement that automated calls were made to police departments across the tri-state area falsely suggesting that shots have been fired in schools."
"Our local police have confirmed that there is no credible threat at this time," the statement added.
Yonkers Police said they received a call reporting shots fired inside of Gorton High School shortly before 8 a.m. Thursday.
"Within one minute the first police officer arrived on scene – officers proceeded to search the school which was placed into lockdown and determined that no shots were fired and the school was safe; the call was a hoax," police said in a statement. "The lockdown was lifted and the school resumed normal operations. Yonkers Police investigators are working to identify the caller and effect an arrest."
In a statement, the Putnam County Sheriff's Office said that they were aware of the threats at state schools and "one" in their county.
"The Sheriff's Office is actively investigating the calls, and extra patrols have been dispatched throughout the county to ensure the safety of students and faculty," the office said.
Meanwhile, in upstate New York, Westhill High School near Syracuse was placed on lockdown due to fake swatting calls, WSYR-TV reported.
A spate of threats and false reports of shooters have been pouring into schools and colleges across the country for months, raising concerns among law enforcement and elected leaders.
Schools in Pennsylvania were targeted by swatting calls on Wednesday. Computer-generated calls made claims about active shooters, but it was all a hoax. On Tuesday, nearly 30 Massachusetts schools received fake threats.
School officials are already on edge amid a backdrop of deadly school shootings, the latest Monday at a Christian school in Nashville.
Authorities are grappling with the false alarms in a country where mass shooters have killed hundreds of people throughout history. Shooters have attacked in places like stores, theaters and workplaces, but it is in schools and colleges where the carnage reverberates perhaps most keenly.
At U.S. schools and colleges, 175 people have been killed in 15 mass shootings that resulted in the deaths of four or more people, not including the perpetrator — from 1999′s Columbine High School massacre to Monday’s shooting in Nashville, Tennessee. That’s according to a database compiled by The Associated Press, USA Today and Northeastern University, in addition to other AP reporting.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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