Active Shooter Hoax Targets Schools Across Milwaukee Area

MILWAUKEE, WI — Schools across the Milwaukee area were targeted in a hoax Thursday involving false claims of an active school shooter.

The affected schools included Rufus King High School in Milwaukee, Bradford High School in Kenosha, LakeView Technology Academy in Pleasant Prairie, Park High School in Racine, Franklin High School and Port Washington High School, according to local authorities.

“… the Racine Police Department received a call from an unknown person who stated that he was a teacher at Park High School and that there is an active shooter in the school and fifteen students had been shot,” Racine police said in a news release.

High schools across the state appear to have received the fake shooter report, including in Green Bay and Madison, according to Green Bay police and Channel 3000.

"All calls report active shooter with 15 victims," Dane County Clerk Scott McDonell tweeted, citing Dane County Emergency Management. "Appears to be an automated message with a foreign accent."

Schools across the country have been targeted this academic year in similar “mass swatting” hoaxes. Swatting is the act of falsely reporting an emergency to draw a major police response, according to the Anti-Defamation League. The swatter or swatters behind the active shooter hoaxes appear to choose a specific day to target schools in one state or local area.

“Appears to be a horrible hoax today as multiple reports of active shooters at several school districts all over,” Professional Fire Fighters of Wisconsin tweeted Thursday. “Our members and law enforcement responding and have not located any shooters or victims at any schools at this time.”

The FBI will work with local law enforcement in response to threat information and urged the public to report suspicious activity or individuals to authorities, according to a statement from the agency tweeted by FOX6 News reporter Amelia Jones.