No Active Shooter Or Gun Found At Lake Central Despite False Reports Causing Panic To Parents
Approximately 10 AM, Wednesday, St. John Police responded to a dispatch of an active shooter at Lake Central High School, according to St. John Police Chief Steve Flores.
Lake County 911 received two emergency telephone calls reporting a possible shooter at Lake Central High School, Lake County E911 said in a release Wednesday night. The first call was from a person that believed there was a shooter in a third-floor bathroom of the school. Further questioning and clarification revealed the caller heard sounds of a gun being “reloaded” and saw something “black” in the person’s hand as they walked past the bathroom stall.
A second 911 call arrived during the first call from a woman who received a text message from her child saying that there was a “shooter” on the third floor of the high school. The woman attempted to text her child back to get more information but received no reply.
The St. John Police Department requested additional law enforcement resources, including SWAT, to the scene to assist with securing the safety of the facility. Multiple agencies from Indiana, Illinois, and Federal agencies responded. Upon arrival of numerous officers the School Resource Officer had already determined there was no shots fired in the building, Flores stated. The SRO immediately found the two students who had called 911 from a bathroom stall. The SRO brought the students to the office to interview the students while numerous officers scoured the building for a possible weapon. After numerous extensive searches of the entire school, cars and students there was no weapon found. After the first extensive search police did one more thorough search to double check that a gun was not ditched, Flores said. The school meanwhile sent out messages to parents alerting them to the activity and that no one was injured.
The extensive searches took most of the school day while the kids were locked down in classrooms. As the end of the day approached police shut down 41 in both directions due to numerous parents and bystanders gathering in a panic over social media rumors and false news reports that were already being reported. Around 2 PM police began to allow students to exit the building to their buses, students vehicles, and walkers were allowed to leave.
Parents on scene were thankful for the huge proactive response by authorities and that the rumors were false after police updated them on scene. Numerous other schools in the region went on lockdown as well out of an abundance of caution.
Lake County 911 commended both callers for remaining calm and promptly answering the questions which led to a swift and thorough response from local law enforcement and partner agencies.
At 3:30 PM interviews and the investigation were still ongoing and if any new information arises we will update. Full press briefing video linked below.
