911 caller in Dayton school shooting hoax claimed to be a student

Dayton police determined a report of an active shooter at Belmont High School on Friday, Sept. 23, 2022 was a hoax. MARSHALL GORBY / STAFF

Dayton police determined a report of an active shooter at Belmont High School on Friday, Sept. 23, 2022 was a hoax. MARSHALL GORBY / STAFF

A 911 caller who reported a false active shooter at Belmont High School last week claimed to be a student who was locked in a classroom, according to dispatch records.

Dayton police received a report of an active shooter at the high school at 10:22 a.m. on Friday. The caller said a white male was shooting students on scene and then disconnected, according to a 911 call log.

Dispatchers called the number back multiple times, but did not get an answer, according to Montgomery County Regional Dispatch records.

Dayton police arrived at the high school in less than two minutes and were inside by 10:24 a.m., the City of Dayton said last week.

The dispatch log noted at 10:28 a.m. crews made contact with the principal, who hadn’t received any reports of an active shooter. At 10:31 a.m. the first and second floors of the school were reported clear after an initial search. Officers then started a secondary search with security officers.

The search ended at 10:52 a.m., according to dispatch records. A few minutes later, at 10:57 a.m., dispatch received another report of a shooter at the school, this time inside the music room.

Crews searched the room before deeming it clear, according to records.

Medics did enter the school in response to a student who was having a panic attack.

Around 10:48 a.m. Friday, Dayton police posted a tweet saying there was no threat at Belmont High School.

“There is NO active shooter, this appears to be a hoax,” the tweet read. “Dayton police are on scene, and everyone is safe.”

Dayton Public Schools Superintendent Elizabeth Lolli also reported students and staff were safe.

“Authorities believe it was a hoax,” she said. “Police reported this prank call also came in about non-DPS schools. The safety of staff and students is our utmost priority.”

Active shooters were also reported Friday at Catholic Central High School in Springfield and Princeton High School in Hamilton County. Those were determined to be hoaxes as well.

Springfield police were dispatched to the high school around 10:31 a.m.

A male caller claiming to be a Catholic Central High School student identified the shooter as a 20-year-old Black male and said he had an AK-47, according to Springfield police records.

The caller also reportedly said 10 students were hurt and the shooter was in the English classroom.

Springfield police said in a press release sent shortly after 11 a.m. Friday it was a false report.

“Officers are on the scene and in the school,” the release read. “Dayton has received a similar call, which has also proved to be false.”

The 911 caller in the Princeton High School incident reported there were up to 10 people injured, according to Sharonville police. The call was transferred from Cincinnati and reportedly came from inside the school.

The Ohio School Safety Center announced Friday it is working with the Statewide Terrorism Analysis and Crime Center and local schools and law enforcement districts to investigate active shooter threats reported across the state and U.S.

“While some of the threats have been determined to be false through law enforcement investigation, the OSSC takes all threats to schools seriously and recommends that schools and first responders do the same,” the OSSC said.

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