Hoax active shooter call prompts Tennessee high school evacuation

A false active shooter call on Tuesday sparked a massive police response at a Tennessee high school, leading to students and faculty being evacuated.

WJHL reported that a person claiming to be a student at Volunteer High School in Church Hill called authorities on Tuesday morning and said they were in the bathroom of the school and planned to start shooting in the gym.

The school was quickly placed on lockdown, with agencies and cities surrounding the school sending assistance to the Hawkins County Sheriff’s Office, which was responding to the situation.

Hawkins County Sheriff Ronnie Lawson said the first responding officer at the school was still on the phone with the caller when they arrived.

ON SCENE: Numerous law enforcement agencies from all over the region are on scene at Volunteer High School.

Multiple ambulances are staged just down the road on Highway 11-W.

Police are calling over speakers instructing parents to pick up students at the Mount Carmel Armory. pic.twitter.com/gJVyB4e9PN

— Olivia Bailey (@OliviaBaileyTV) August 10, 2021

“We did a thorough search, we evacuated as many students as we possibly could on initial search, then went back and done a thorough search and got all the students out,” Lawson said, according to WJHL.

According to the sheriff, no shots appeared to have been fired. One person with injuries unrelated to the hoax call was transported from the scene by Hawkins County EMS.

“At this time, everything appears to be this call was a hoax,” Lawson said, adding that the school is safe to resume on Wednesday. “The Hawkins County Sheriff’s Office, along with the Church Hill Police Department and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, are determined to find where this call originated from.”

Students were taken by bus to the National Guard Armory in Mount Carmel to be reunited with their families.

HAPPENING NOW: School buses filled with students escorted by law enforcement agencies are leaving Volunteer High School.

Armed law enforcement personnel are on the buses with students. pic.twitter.com/zDfNBloNuu

— Olivia Bailey (@OliviaBaileyTV) August 10, 2021

“All the kids are safe, we had no injuries. No injuries to staff or any person at Volunteer this morning,” Church Hill Police Chief Chad Mosley said.

Despite the call appearing to have been a hoax, school officials told parents on Tuesday that there would be a more visible law enforcement presence at the school for the remainder of the week.