<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0ILKv5_0lZhE37a00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0ILKv5_0lZhE37a00" width="1320" height="742" ></figure>SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — The Utah Department of Public Safety said all 911 calls reporting hoax threats at multiple schools Wednesday morning appear to have come from an automated program set up to make the calls almost simultaneously. DPS said those calls were traced to an IP address outside the United States, but officials couldn't specify its origin. It also wasn't immediately clear if it was rerouting the calls from elsewhere, or if the person responsible was also in the unnamed foreign country.Ogden School District was the first to publicly address what ultimately became a multi-county hoax targeting schools spanning the entirety of the state on Wednesday. Dispatch centers at every corner of Utah began receiving 911 calls about an active shooter situation happening at area schools on March 29, with the first call coming in at 9:30 a.m., according to DPS, and local law enforcement response was quick - and public. Police from across Weber County responded to Ogden High School after a reported active shooter there. Officers checked the school room by room and determined the threat was unfounded. Students were sent home early. "All of our staff followed our procedure to ensure the students were safe," said Ogden City School District Superintendent Luke Rasmussen, adding that staffers "cooperated directly with the police department and looked to their guidance, which was tremendous in this incident." <div style="position:relative;width:100%; height:0; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rV5158SBp-Q?enablejsapi=1&version=3&playerapiid=ytplayer" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" style="width:100%; height:100%;top:0; left:0; position:absolute"></iframe></div>As it all unfolded, 2News was simultaneously fielding calls from residents in Weber County about the police presence at Ogden High when more calls began flowing in -- but for different schools, in multiple counties -- about a school shooting threat. By 9:45, at least 13 schools had been confirmed as targets, according to DPS. Local, state and federal agencies are investigating even more. Social media accounts for Utah law enforcement agencies lit up with notices about officers responding to incidents at schools, asking community members to stay clear of areas. Districts began issuing notices to parents and guardians about lockdowns happening as a result. One by one, more districts and schools reported receiving similar threats, From Box Elder County in northern Utah to Washington School District in southwest Utah, to Grand County School District in the east. "The lockdown is over," reported GCSD on its social media. "There was no threat. Everyone is safe and accounted for."Hoax calls were reported in areas across the nation, as well, with reports coming in from Massachusetts, Missouri and Pennsylvania of similar unfounded threats, just days after the U.S.'s most recent school shooting. The incident in Nashville, Tennessee, left three students and three staff members dead. In the U.S., there have been more than 130 mass shootings in 2023 so far, according to Gun Violence Archive, which shows the number of such incidents increasing from 383 in 2016 to 647 at the end of 2022, which included the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, one of the nation's most deadly school massacres. It left families across the nation wondering which school would be targeted next. At Spanish Fork High School, the community witnessed dozens of officers swarming the school following the threat, unable to do anything more than watch and wait following a tweet that stated "Spanish Fork police, fire, and EMS are responding to a call at Spanish Fork High," adding that residents were being told to "AVOID THE AREA." Over the next half hour, families flocked to the perimeter of the school, forced to wait for for officers to clear the building before they could find out if their children were OK. The department followed its original by sharing the high school's message to families: <blockquote>All students and faculty are safe. This was a false report of an active shooter. Police responded quickly and lock down protocol was immediately put into place. Police have swept the building and have deemed it safe.</blockquote>It was a scene that was likely playing out across Utah as police departments and districts where schools had been locked down each verified the threats were unfounded.Districts and police were quick to release responses confirming children were safe. <div style="position:relative;width:100%; height:0; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DTYit9Q0IVM?enablejsapi=1&version=3&playerapiid=ytplayer" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" style="width:100%; height:100%;top:0; left:0; position:absolute"></iframe></div>Salt Lake City Police Department confirmed a call made to an area school was a hoax following a 911 call about a possible shooting incident underway at West High School - a school that was on spring break at the time. SLCPD reported dispatch received the 911 call shortly after 9:30 a.m. reporting the active shooter, leading to an immediate officer response, according to a statement from the department. "The on-scene incident commander spoke with the school district and confirmed a district-wide school closure for spring break," SLCPD reported. "Out of an abundance of caution, officers entered the school and did a tactical search. There were no injuries reported and no evidence of any gunfire found."In Utah County, police responded to a threat at Spanish Fork High as Provo High School also went on lockdown. Provo Police stated the report was made to the Metro Dispatch Center at 9:45 a.m. "Officers responded immediately, and whilst clearing the school it was learned that at least four other schools within Utah County received similar calls," the police department said in a statement. "No verified threats, injuries, or suspicious activity have been found. Officers will continue to investigate the origin of the call."According to DPS, law enforcement at city and state levels are currently working with the FBI in tracking down the individual responsible for Wednesday's chaos. KUTV 2News reporter Daniel Woodruff contributed to this report </div></body>

Mountain View, CA

NewsBreak

Utah school shooting hoax calls came from one person using IP address outside US

SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — The Utah Department of Public Safety said all 911 calls reporting hoax threats at multiple schools Wednesday morning appear to have come from an automated program set up to make the calls almost simultaneously. DPS said those calls were traced to an IP address...