LEE COUNTY, Fla. — The Lee County Sheriff's Office received a call Thursday afternoon about an active shooter at a local high school, but the agency says it wasn't real.
Around 1 p.m., the sheriff's office got a call about an active shooter at South Fort Myers High School, a Facebook post from the agency explains. Immediately, all resources were allocated and sent to the school.
But deputies determined it was a “hoax call” shortly after.
All schools within the county were still searched and cleared by deputies and school resource officers to ensure there were no threats.
"The safety and security of students and faculty at Lee County Schools remains our number one priority," the sheriff's office wrote in the post.
The School Threat Enforcement Team and Youth Services Detectives are investigating the incident.
Situations like this aren't just happening in Florida. According to the Florida Fusion Center, there have been a number of "swatting" calls impacting schools around the country. These are prank calls to emergency services "in an attempt to garner a large number of law enforcement to a specific location."
"Thank you to the dedicated deputies that diverted their resources to the schools as well as the School Resource Officers," the agency wrote on Facebook. "In addition, we are grateful for the Lee County School District’s cooperation and professionalism as all 67 schools in our jurisdiction were checked."
