TBI Investigates False Reports Of School Shooters Across Tennessee

Image Credit: Tennessee Bureau Of Investigation / Facebook

The Tennessee Conservative [By Jason Vaughn] –

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is looking into a series of phone calls made to 911 with false claims of an active school shooter in a number of different high schools across the state.

According to several released statements from school districts and law enforcement agencies from Knoxville to Nashville to Dyersburg, local police in a number of different counties received internet-based phone calls that stated that someone had shot several students in a local high school.

Hardin County school officials said that they had been told of a “swatting call” in Murfreesboro where a dispatcher reported that the voice on the line sounded robotic or electronically generated but that it did respond to questions.

As the calls came in, school systems in all parts of the state went into various lockdowns while law enforcement checked the schools.

After a call came in for Martin Luther King, Jr. Magnet School in Nashville, school officials stated that “this appears to be a situation that has affected many schools across the country.” It appears that at least 14 different Tennessee schools were involved.

None of the reports were found to be valid, and the TBI released a statement saying “there is no known immediate threat to public safety at this time.”

In their statement, Clarksville-Montgomery County School said, “As a reminder, per state law, an individual can be charged for recklessly, by any means of communication, threatening to commit an act of mass violence on school property or at a school-related activity.”

Officials are continuing to work with local law enforcement agencies as well as the state and federal officials to determine the source of the hoax calls.

About the Author: Jason Vaughn, Media Coordinator for The Tennessee Conservative  ~ Jason previously worked for a legacy publishing company based in Crossville, TN in a variety of roles through his career.  Most recently, he served as Deputy Director for their flagship publication. Prior, he was a freelance journalist writing articles that appeared in the Herald Citizen, the Crossville Chronicle and The Oracle among others.  He graduated from Tennessee Technological University with a Bachelor’s in English-Journalism, with minors in Broadcast Journalism and History.  Contact Jason at news@TennesseeConservativeNews.com