#law-enforcement-response

#law-enforcement-response

EAST PALO ALTO - A private East Palo Alto school was locked down and searched Tuesday after a caller threatened to "shoot up" the campus, according to authorities. The East Palo Alto Police Department said it received the call at 2:30 p.m. and immediately dispatched officers to The Primary School in the 2000 block of Clarke Avenue. "Out of an abundance of caution, the school was secured and searched," police said. "Once the area was deemed safe, children were safely released to their parents." No injuries were reported.

As fall semester classes get underway, colleges and universities have faced a cascade of so-called swatting calls-false reports of serious crimes intended to trigger a large police response and the deployment of SWAT teams. At least seven colleges have investigated false reports of an active shooter on campus since last Thursday. The calls, which one college leader characterized as a "cruel hoax," have led to injuries on some campuses and forced some to shelter in place, sending students, faculty and administrators reeling.

Norris said the suspect or suspects used high-powered "modern-day sporting rifles". He called it a "dynamic situation," as authorities are taking "rapid fire" as the blaze continues to burn.

"A suspect in a shooting at a Dallas high school that wounded four students has been taken into custody, underscoring the ongoing issue of school violence in the U.S."