MIAMI, FL – A hoax call reporting an active shooter at Christopher Columbus High School in southwest Miami-Dade triggered a massive law enforcement response Tuesday, sending the campus and nearby schools into lockdown and leaving students and parents shaken before police confirmed there was no threat.
Authorities said the false report of an armed person on campus prompted multiple agencies to converge on the school. Officers conducted a sweep of the building and grounds before determining the call was a hoax, police said.
The lockdown extended beyond Christopher Columbus High, with nearby campuses also placed on alert as a precaution during the response.
Parents and students described scenes of fear and confusion as the lockdown unfolded. Many parents rushed to the school after hearing reports of an armed person, only to learn the incident had been fabricated.
Police quickly cleared the scene after finding no evidence of a threat. Students were eventually released and normal operations resumed.
Authorities are continuing to investigate the source of the false call. No arrests have been announced in connection with the hoax.
The incident at Christopher Columbus High is part of a growing nationwide trend of so-called “swatting” calls targeting schools, in which individuals make false reports of armed threats to provoke emergency responses. Such hoax calls divert significant law enforcement resources and cause widespread panic among students, parents, and staff.
Making a false report of an active shooter is a criminal offense in Florida, and investigators have said they are working to identify the individual responsible for the call.
