Reports of an active shooter at Central and Oakland Catholic High Schools along with many others in the area are believed to be a hoax.
UPDATE:
A massive police presence is in Oakland with students from Central and Oakland Catholic meeting at St. Paul’s Cathedral after being evacuated.
Someone in Central Catholic tells KDKA Radio they were placed on lockdown.
There are no reports of an injury.
KDKA Radio's Shelby Cassesse reported parents driving up to the school, getting out of their vehicles and running up the stairs to the entrance, left in tears after finding out it was a hoax.
Reports of an active shooter at Hopewell, Chalfont, Laurel Highlands, New Castle and more are also reported to be a hoax locally.
Allegheny County released the following statement Wednesday afternoon:
County 9-1-1 has received three separate calls reporting that there is an active shooter in three separate schools. We are also aware that similar reports are coming in for schools outside of the county. In each instance, law enforcement is responding but believes that these are false reports. Thus far, there has been no active shooter found and no injuries at any school. Law enforcement will continue to thoroughly check out any reports.
The FBI office in Pittsburgh released the following statement:
FBI Pittsburgh is aware of the numerous swatting incidents wherein a report of an active shooter at a school is made. 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. We urge the public to remain vigilant, and report any and all suspicious activity and/or individuals to law enforcement immediately.
Multiple districts, including Montour are addressing the situation.
Montour said in a statement:
We are aware of swatting issues in the neighboring districts. Officials believe this is a hoax. Details are not confirmed Montour is NOT on lockdown.
Fox Chapel School District released a statement of their own
While there is no immediate threat to the Fox Chapel Area School District, we want to make you aware of what appears to be a hoax that is affecting school districts in Pennsylvania and several other states. “Swatting” is defined as the action or practice of making a prank call to law enforcement in an attempt to bring about the dispatch of a large number of armed police officers to a particular address. Several swatting attacks have been reported across the state, including in Allegheny, Washington, Fayette, Centre, and Blair counties.
The Fox Chapel Area School District officials, our school resource officers, and our local municipal police are aware of the hoax and will continue to monitor the situation. Out of an abundance of caution, students may notice an increased police presence on our campuses.
At this time, students and staff are engaging in their normal activities. If this changes, we will notify parents and guardians.
As always, the safety and security of our students, staff, and school community is our top priority. We will continue to adhere to all of the district’s safety and security protocols.
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation in helping us to keep our school community safe.
Sincerely,
Dr. Mary Catherine Reljac
Superintendent
State police say calls are being made across the state to other schools of an active shooter.
State Police out of Hollidaysburg and Rockview stations are responding to threats that they say have been called in by phone.
State Police believe the called are “computer generated swatting calls" and released the following statement on Wednesday afternoon.
The Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) is investigating a series of phone calls made to 911 centers about schools across the Commonwealth involving threats of an active shooter situation or bomb threat. These phone calls were made to several schools in different counties. All calls have had similar content. All calls are being thoroughly investigated and responded to by law enforcement. These calls have created lockdowns and/or evacuations of the schools with a large response from police and emergency services. The PSP has responded to all incidents in our primary coverage areas and has been in contact with municipal law enforcement partners investigating these incidents in their coverage areas. At this time, all claims in these calls have been determined to be false. All schools involved have been cleared or are in the process of being cleared by law enforcement. The investigation is ongoing.
This comes just a couple days after a mass shooting in Nashville, TN killed three children and three adults. The shooter was killed by police.
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This is a developing story.