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The latest incident took place in Westport, around 9:10 a.m., Friday, Oct. 21 at Staples High School.
According to Westport Police Lt. David Wolf, the 911 center received a call from a person who was reporting that there was an active shooter inside Staples High School.
The patrol and detective divisions as well as officers serving in administrative roles immediately went to the school, Wolf said.
As officers were responding, contact was established with the school resource officer who said there was no indication of a problem at the location. This led the department to believe that this may be what is referred to as a “swatting” call, he added.
Wolf said despite the possibility of this being a hoax, the high school was placed on lockdown and the police department proceeded as if there was an active threat.
Once on the scene, teams of officers checked the entire school to confirm there was no shooter.
This exhaustive search included checking each room within the high school as well as all common areas, police said.
"Nothing of concern was discovered which confirmed our belief that the call reporting the active shooter was in fact a hoax," Wolf said. "It is our understanding that other schools throughout the state received the same call."
Out of an abundance of caution, officers will be stationed at all of Westport’s schools for the remainder of the day.
"The outstanding communication between the police and school officials allowed this incident to run smoothly," Wolf added. "Additionally, the members of the police department were incredibly impressed with the composure exhibited by students and faculty alike in the face of a very freighting situation."
Around the same time, a report of an active shooter was reported at Stamford High School.
The police department’s detective bureau has assumed control of this investigation and is looking to identify the caller.
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