Incidents at Savannah High School, other schools, were hoax threats

SAVANNAH, Ga. – Sheila Blanco, the Public Information Manager for Savannah-Chatham County Schools, confirmed around 10 a.m. Wednesday that the incident at Savannah High School Wednesday morning was a hoax threat from a call that came into the school.

The FBI is investigating where the call came from and released a statement that reads:

“The FBI is aware of the numerous swatting incidents wherein a report of an active shooter at a school is made. FBI agents across Georgia are working alongside our law enforcement partners in identifying the source of the hoax threats. Due to the ongoing investigation, we are unable to provide more details. However, it is important to note that law enforcement is going to use all available resources to investigate a school threat until we determine whether it is real or not. Investigating hoax threats drains law enforcement resources and diverts us from responding to an actual crisis. Hoax threats can shut down schools, cause undue stress and fear to the public, and cost taxpayers a lot of money; not to mention ruin the future of those making the hoax threats as they’ll likely have a criminal record, like the student featured in this video: https://www.fbi.gov/video-repository/think-before-you-post-psa.mp4/view. We urge the public to remain vigilant, and report any and all suspicious activity and/or individuals to law enforcement immediately.”

Earlier Wednesday morning, Georgia officials responded to unconfirmed reports of a gunman at Savannah High School that resulted in heavy police presence in the area.

Police have searched the entire building and found no sign of a shooting, and no one has been injured.

Governor Brian Kemp posted this statement on Twitter about the situation.

The Savannah Mayor responded to the situation on Facebook.

Hoax active shooter calls were called into other Georgia schools, from the Florida line to the South Carolina line. Brunswick High School, Camden County High School and schools in Brantley County and Ware County were also affected by the calls. Multiple law enforcement agencies in Georgia and the FBI are investigating the calls.