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Officers were dispatched to the high school on Highland Street to lock the school down around 11:45 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 13 after receiving a call in which a male voice said he had a firearm near the school, according to the Amesbury Police Department. The sound of gunshots could be heard in the background of the call.
Police followed procedure and responded with a large number of police and emergency units, locking the school down, and activating secure mode fore all other Amesbury schools. Police arrived at the scene to find no injuries and no evidence of gunfire.
Preliminary police investigation revealed that the calls of gunfire at Amesbury High School were hoaxes, otherwise known as "swatting," the Amesbury Police Department said. Other school districts in the region reported similar incidents the same day
Calling emergency services under false pretenses in order to get a large number of police officers at a particular location is called "swatting." Swatting is a criminal act, according to the FBI.
“Swatting calls like the one we received today use a tremendous amount of police and emergency resources, diverting those resources away from other potential emergencies,” Chief Bailey said. “We are pleased that our policies and procedures were followed, and I am very grateful for the response of our officers and the pouring in of mutual aid resources from our neighbors and regional partners.”
Social media reports initially suggested a man was outside the school holding an AR-15, but police said these reports were untrue.
“This was an unwelcome disruption, but we are all thankful that there is no active threat or danger to our schools," Superintendent McAndrews said. "I would particularly like to thank our families for adhering to protocol and trusting us with the safety of their children, staying away from the schools and allowing law enforcement to do their jobs safely.”
The incident is being investigated by the Amesbury Police Department.
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