A report about someone with a gun at a B.C. high school that terrified students, parents and staff was a case of “swatting,” Delta police said Thursday.
Swatting refers to the illegal practice of making a fake police report about a critical incident meant to trigger a heavy and urgent police response. In some cases, the hoaxes have led to injuries and even deaths.
On Thursday, police swarmed Delta’s Burnsview Secondary School shortly before noon in response to the false report.
School officials placed students and staff on lockdown, and some panicked parents took to social media after receiving troubling text messages from their children.
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The lockdown was downgraded to a hold and secure and ultimately lifted once police determined there was no actual threat.
Police said they must take all threats of violence seriously, and as a result, were required to deploy a significant number of officers to the school.
They added that the incident was an example of why people shouldn’t share unverified information on social media, which can cause “unnecessary alarm within the community.”
The Delta Police Department has now launched a criminal investigation into the false report.
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