LITHIA, Fla. — A shooting threat placed Newsome High School on lockdown for several hours on Friday afternoon, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.
Around 8:45 a.m., deputies were made aware of a post on Fortify Florida — a suspicious activity reporting site — threatening to shoot a teacher and bring a bomb to campus.
The sheriff's office shared redacted images of the threats.
Newsome High School was placed on lockdown while several sheriff's office units responded to the school. Approximately 200 members of the sheriff's office spent hours combing through the buildings, conducting security screenings and evacuating students to secured areas.
After screening nearly 3,050 students and 200 staff members, no weapons or credible threats were uncovered, according to the sheriff's office.
Students were safely released from the school at the following times:
- Students with cars - 2:50 p.m.
- Students using buses - 3:05 p.m.
- Students walking - 3:25 p.m.
"The turmoil and trauma experienced today by these students, staff, and parents is unimaginable, and no community should ever have to endure such fear and uncertainty," Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a statement. "Every member of the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, myself included, is committed to deploying every available resource to ensure the safety and security of our schools is not compromised."
Deputies said eight threats regarding Newsome High School were sent to Fortify Florida on Friday. Between Sept. 4 and Sept. 12, the sheriff's office has investigated a total of 111 school-based threats submitted to the site.
The sheriff's office is continuing to investigate to find out where the threat originated.