![]() ![]() “It could be someone who’s just doing this as a general prank or it could be someone trying to take law enforcement resources away from one location so that a crime can be committed someplace else,” Kachajian said.Ĭommissioner Jennnifer Morrison said whatever the intent, it’s an act of terrorism. Swatting incidents like this have occurred across the country for years and the motive is often unclear. “The voice sounded a little digitized when we got the call and at that point the person hung up and we didn’t get any further information.” “It’s definitely a serious matter, and why people are doing this is beyond me, but a lot of people could get hurt and it’s very, very serious,” said Brandon Police Chief David Kachajian, who responded to Otter Valley Union High School following Wednesday’s threat that students at the school had been shot. They say all 21 shooting threats proved to be a hoax and were part of a coordinated international trend known as swatting, where people call in fake incidents that spur a massive police response. In a matter of hours, Governor Phil Scott, top lawmakers, and school and emergency officials briefed the public. Schools and police weren’t the only ones to respond. “These incidents - we go into our crisis response mode and think about what are the things that we need to do as quickly as possible to keep as many people in our building safe,” said Colchester Schools Superintendent Amy Minor. The dynamic chain of events unfolded in real time across 21 public and private schools in Vermont communities, including Colchester High School, where administrators put their emergency plans into action. “People thought it was kind of odd because we had a drill like a week or two ago,” said Nathan McDonald, a junior at the school. Students and staff at Rice Memorial High School in South Burlington also sent into lockdown as police rushed to the scene. “I think it’s definitely an unreal situation, but it’s a situation that so many people across this state and this country have to deal with all the time,” said Merrick Modun, an MHS senior. And students - many desensitized to the constant threat of school violence - sheltered inside. Parents worried that the threat was real, showed up outside to check on their children. “We train with active alerts and several other agencies to train for active shooter incidents. He says the school was put in lockdown while nearly 50 officers swarmed the building. “For shots fired at the school with two students hit,” said Vermont State Police Sgt. That included Montpelier High School, where police rushed to the scene. Just after 8 a.m., phones at police dispatch centers across Vermont lit up, reporting active shooters in schools all around the state. (WCAX) - At least 21 schools across Vermont received threats of school shootings on Wednesday, and police say all of them were hoaxes. ![]()
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