Multiple Georgia school districts appear to have been the target of coordinated, false reports of an active shooter on campus Wednesday morning.
So far, there have been no reports of injuries and no shooters have been found. Still, the situation caused chaos at multiple across the state starting around 9 a.m. Wednesday.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp issued a statement on Twitter, condemning what he called a “cruel hoax” and saying that the FBI is investigating the false reports as an act of domestic terrorism.
“Rest assured, for the criminals who orchestrated these hoaxes, we will go after them with every single resource available,” Kemp said. “The FBI is actively investigating these acts of domestic terrorism, and we will continue to diligently work with them to see these culprits are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
The first reports were of a gunman near the campus of Savannah Early College, according to Savannah Mayor Van Johnson. At least three law enforcement agencies responded to the scene and emergency responders evacuated students.
“There is no information at this time to confirm that the reports are accurate; however, a full response to the potential threat is taking place for the safety of all occupants.,” Johnson said. “Parents will be provided information as to reunification process with students when the all clear is given.”
Shortly after the report from Savannah High School, Brunswick High School was placed on lockdown after reports of an active shooter there. The Glynn County School System said no actual shooters or any injuries were discovered after an extensive search.
“At this time, it appears to have been a prank call as other school district in our are have received similar calls,” the district said.
A third threat was reported at Camden County High School around the same time. No actual shooter or any injuries were found at that school, according to the College of Coastal Georgia Police Department.
Milton Police said someone claiming to be a teacher at Cambridge High School called 911 and said shots had been fired at the school. The school was put on hard lockdown and police did a sweep of the school while students remained in their classrooms. They left campus after determining the 911 call was a hoax.
Valdosta High School went into lockdown around 10:30 a.m. over reports of an active shooter. According to the Valdosta City School District, there was no one shot on campus. Responders were working on a final sweep of the building.
Milledgeville Police said they received a call about an active shooter at Baldwin High School. Police said multiple agencies were deployed to the high school and administrators issued a lockdown.
“Upon law enforcement arrival, they immediately entered the building and did a search of the entire school where it was determined that no threat was present,” police said in a statement. “Upon further investigation, the call was determined to be part of a statewide hoax taking place today across multiple school districts.”