Hoax Shooting Threat Targets St. Petersburg Catholic School: Police

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — St. Petersburg Catholic High School was among multiple Florida schools targeted by hoax shooting threats on Tuesday, authorities said.

“No active shooters are on the St. Pete Catholic campus. This was a HOAX,” St. Petersburg police wrote on Facebook. “No children are in danger.”

St. Petersburg Catholic High School also wrote about the incident on its Facebook page, saying, “The safety and security of our school campus is important to the entire staff. This was a HOAX, and there were NO signs of a threat at our campus. At no time were students or staff in danger. All lockdown procedures were followed as planned.”

All campus activities scheduled for Tuesday were canceled, the school added. They’ll be rescheduled at a later date.

• Also Read: SWAT Team Sweeps Riverview High School After Shooting Threat: Sheriff

Hoax “swatting” calls were made to schools across Florida and the United States on Tuesday, according to reports.

In South Florida, schools in Broward and Miami-Dade counties were on lockdown after reports of threats to campuses.

Authorities received a call — which was found to be false — about an adult male shooter in body armor at Miami Central High School just after 9 a.m., according to WSVN.

Similar calls were made Tuesday morning about schools in Pembroke Pines, Boca Raton, Doral, Dillard, Hollywood and Pompano Beach, reports said.

Later Tuesday, calls were made about Palm Beach and Orange county schools, while schools in the Tampa Bay area were targeted Tuesday afternoon, Fox 13 reported.

In Pinellas County, Pinellas Park High School was on lock-in status following a hoax call. And the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office also received a false report of a shooting threat at Sarasota’s Riverview High School.

A spokesperson for the FBI told WFLA, “The FBI is aware of 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 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.”

Under Florida law, making false reports to law enforcement is a third-degree felony.