More than a dozen schools around Colorado, including several in the metro area, were the victims Wednesday of apparently coordinated “swatting” threats, with a caller claiming to be an active shooter on campus as gunfire is heard in the background of the call.
None of the threats were credible and no injuries were reported, although some schools were evacuated while others sprang into practiced responses, including sheltering in place and securing perimeters. The Federal Bureau of Investigation also is helping local law enforcement investigate the calls.
The Colorado incidents followed a string of swatting threats that were made on Tuesday in southern Oregon, according to KTVL.com. They also follow a cluster of swattings in Colorado in September.
In Boulder on Wednesday, a 911 call was received at 8:33 a.m. about an active shooting at Boulder High School, said Police Chief Maris Herold at a late-morning news conference outside the school.
The caller, likely a man, according to Herold, said that he was armed and was firing shots. Gunfire was heard in the background.
“I have listened to this 911 call,” Herold said. “It is very scary.”
Students were initially ordered to shelter in place and were later led out of the school by deputies and responders. They were bussed to the University of Colorado campus and picked up by parents with classes canceled for the day.
The Boulder Valley School District addressed the incident, in part, with an afternoon letter to student families and staff.
“As you may have heard, Boulder Valley School District appears to be the latest victim of ‘swatting,’ ” the BVSD statement read. “Swatting is when someone makes a prank call to police claiming an emergency and provides a real address for officers to respond to.”
Local authorities on Wednesday responded to threats or incidents at schools in widespread areas of Colorado including Alamosa, Aspen, Aurora, Boulder, Brighton, Brush, Cañon City, Clear Creek County, Durango, Englewood, Estes Park, Fort Morgan, Gilpin County, Lamar, Littleton, Roaring Fork Schools and Wiggins.
In Estes Park, a police officer accidentally fired one round from a gun into an elementary school floor during a swatting response, police said. No students or school officials were in the building at the time and no one was injured. Officers with the National Park Service and Larimer County Sheriff’s Office were in the building with Estes Park police when the gun discharged. An investigation is ongoing.
In Aurora, a threat was phoned in about 8:30 a.m. against Aurora Central High School, said Sydney Edwards, a police department spokeswoman.
The call was similar to the one made to Boulder, Edwards said, with the threat of an active shooter and gunfire heard in the background. A school resource officer assigned to the campus was the first to respond and other officers quickly arrived. The school perimeter was secured and the campus was cleared and deemed safe in about 30 minutes.
“This was very similar to other calls from around the state,” Edwards said. “We are referring to this as a ‘swatting call.’ ”
Littleton High School was threatened when police dispatch received a phone call at 1:45 p.m., said Sheera Poelman, a police spokeswoman. It too was claimed to be an active threat, with gunfire in the background. More than 20 officers responded to the school as a planned response was put into play. The school was cleared and there were no injuries.
The FBI is aiding local and state authorities in an ongoing investigation into the incidents.
“The FBI works closely with its law enforcement partners by providing resources and guidance in these investigations and can recommend cases for federal prosecution,” the agency said in a statement. “While we have no information at this time 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.”
In other areas of the state, schools were briefly placed on secure status or lockdown, including in Brighton, Cañon City Schools, Alamosa and Glenwood Springs, but the measures were quickly lifted after the threats were determined not to be credible.
However, Aspen Schools canceled classes for the rest of the day after the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office determined there was no threat.
#DHSEM staff and the State Emergency Operations Center are currently monitoring several school lockdowns along with other state agencies. There have been no requests for state assistance at this time.
Local agencies will provide updates to their responses.
— CO – Emergency Mgmt (@COEmergency) February 22, 2023
In September, Denver’s East High School was one of several Colorado schools to receive hoax calls about active shooters. About the same time, law enforcement in New Mexico, Virginia, Texas and California, among other states, responded to false threats at multiple schools.
Denver Post reporter Jessica Seaman contributed to this report.
