Report Of Shooting At Windsor Locks Middle School Deemed "Swatting"

WINDSOR LOCKS, CT — A telephone call reporting a shooting at Windsor Locks Middle School and incidents at two town elementary schools around 10:15 a.m. Friday turned out to be a "swatting" incident, with other area police departments receiving similar calls.

A written statement from the Windsor Locks Police Department, posted on social media, stated, "Reports came in of a shooting at the middle school. WLPD responded immediately, cleared the school, and investigation is leading us to believe it is a swatting incident. No injuries, no shots fired. This also occurred in neighboring jurisdictions. This is a preliminary report. Incident is active and under investigation at this time. Schools are on lockdown at the moment. However once all school authorities have been updated and information shared, school administrators will make a determination on their security status."

Around noon, police issued an update, "This is a now confirmed swatting incident. No shots fired, no injuries, no known threats. WLPD has de-escalated our response along with that of our mutual aid partners. Parents/Guardians please call the school for student related information or questions. Suspect(s) are unknown at this time. Incident has moved into the investigative phase."

Superintendent of Schools Shawn Parkhurst wrote, "This morning at approximately 10:15 a.m., the district was notified of a report of an active shooter at Windsor Locks Middle School. Nearly at the same time, additional calls came into the WLPD for North and South as well. All schools within the district were put into Code Red as a precaution. Windsor Locks Police Department, and multiple surrounding Police Departments were on scene within seconds. Students were secured in their classrooms, and law enforcement, including a K-9 Officer, swept the buildings and determined the schools to be secure. Once the buildings were cleared by law enforcement, students and staff were allowed to return to their regular schedules, and parents were permitted to pick up their children. Law enforcement have alerted us that this is not an isolated incident and these incidents occurred statewide today. Members of our Board of Education, our First Selectman and I were on the scene to assist and ensure the safety and wellbeing of all. I want to commend our students, staff and families for their patience in allowing our law enforcement officers to do their work."

"Swatting" is a hoax that involves making false 911 calls to provoke large responses by law enforcement groups, such as SWAT teams. Last week, a half-dozen high schools in New Jersey were locked down after an apparent swatting spree.

Enfield was among the other Connecticut towns receiving calls Friday morning.