A call attributed to a national "Swatting" hoaxsent units from the Lee County Sheriff's Office to South Fort Myers High School on Friday and prompted a message to parents that there was no threat.
The Sheriff's Office reported that around 1 p.m. the agency received a call regarding an active shooter at South Fort Myers High School.
"All resources were allocated and deployed to the school," an alert on the Sheriff's Office Facebook site said. "Shortly after, it was determined to be a hoax call. According to the Florida Fusion Center, there have been a number of “swatting” calls impacting schools around the country."
“Swatting” is the action of making a prank call to emergency services in an attempt to garner a large number of law enforcement to a specific location.
During the Sheriff's Office investigation, several schools, including Cypress Lake High School, were locked down and searched. The lockdowns were lifted shortly before 2 p.m.
The Sheriff's Office also said that the incident was being investigated by the agency's School Threat Enforcement Team and Youth Services detectives.
The Sheriff's Office alert also said that all schools in Lee County’s jurisdiction were searched and cleared as deputies and School Resource Officers ensured there were no threats.
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