Hawkins County Sheriff Ronnie Lawson said that someone called law enforcement around 8 a.m. (EDT) Tuesday, the first full school day for the district, who claimed he was inside Volunteer High School and planned to start shooting a firearm in the gym.
The school promptly entered lockdown, as well other schools in certain parts of the district, and deputies arrived on scene to investigate. All Volunteer High School students were evacuated on buses to the Mount Carmel National Guard Armory, where they were successfully reunited with their parents by Tuesday afternoon.
A sweep of the school that uncovered no evidence of a shooter led authorities to believe the call may have been phony.
“There’s no signs in the school of an active shooter, no signs that a weapon had been fired and no injuries to any student or faculty,” Lawson said.
Authorities have not identified the suspect behind the call at this time, and say the investigation is ongoing. The lockdowns for all other schools in the district were lifted, according to the Hawkins County Schools website.
Volunteer High School is scheduled to resume classes Wednesday, Hawkins County Director of Schools Matt Hixson said during a news conference Tuesday.
“We’ve been through COVID and a lot of closure and our intent is to keep students in school and keep them learning,” he said.
Despite his belief that the active shooter call was a hoax, Lawson said that faculty were briefed and officers were expected to be stationed at the school when classes resume Wednesday. However, he stressed that he doesn’t believe the students and faculty would be in any danger.
“Most shooters don’t call and warn anybody. They just show up,” he said.
The live updates for this event have ended.
Authorities previously confirmed that two people were taken from the school in ambulances for reasons unrelated to the “emergency situation.” Lawson did not say who the other person was or why they needed ambulance transportation.
“There’s no signs in the school of an active shooter, no signs that a weapon had been fired and no injuries to any student of faculty,” Lawson said.
Despite his belief that the active shooter call was a “hoax,” Lawson said that faculty were briefed and officers were expected to be stationed at the school when classes resume Wednesday. However, he stressed that he doesn’t believe the students and faculty would be in any danger.
“Most shooters don’t call and warn anybody. They just show up,” he said.
They district also said that the active shooter report received Tuesday morning, which authorities now believe to be a “hoax,” was “contained.”
“We would like to thank all emergency personnel and staff that responded quickly to the emergency situation,” the update said.
Lawson said that someone called law enforcement Tuesday morning who claimed he was inside the school and planned to start shooting a firearm in the gym.
Authorities believe no shots were fired in the school and classes can resume safely on Wednesday. The suspect still has not been found, Lawson said.
Deputies arrived on scene after receiving a call just before 8 a.m. (EDT), the Hawkins County Sheriff’s Office said. Matt Hixson, the director of schools for the county, said during a press conference late Tuesday morning that authorities were still conducting their sweep of the school and would likely finish in a couple hours.
The Hawkins County Sheriff’s office previously confirmed that nobody was injured during the incident, but many specifics regarding what events led up to the active shooter report remain unclear.
It wasn’t immediately clear who the patients were and why they needed to be taken from the school in ambulances.
Nobody present during the incident reported injuries caused by the alleged active shooter, the Hawkins County Sheriff’s Office said. Authorities are still working to locate the person who reportedly had a gun at the school Tuesday morning.
The Texas Bureau of Investigation and Tennessee Emergency Management Agency are still completing their sweep of the school and surrounding area as they try to locate the suspect and any more evidence. Hixson said that the school readied counseling and mental health support services for the students at the reunion site.
“We’ve been through COVID and a lot of closure and our intent is to keep students in school and keep them learning,” he said.
A post on the sheriff’s Facebook page said that the office received a call just before 8 a.m. (EDT) with reports that someone in the building had a firearm. Deputies responded immediately and conducted a search of the school, but have not found the suspect.
No injuries from the incident have been reported yet, the post said. An investigation by multiple law enforcement agencies is in progress.
It is not clear how many patients were transported from the school, or whether they were shot by the person with a gun reportedly present at the school Tuesday morning.
The reports of a person with a gun at the school are still not publicly confirmed, and law enforcement hasn’t indicated whether anyone was injured in Tuesday morning’s “emergency situation.”
The post instructed parents to remain in their cars upon arrival for more instructions, and said that staff were present to help reunite them with their children.
According to the 2021-2022 school calendar, students reported for a shortened school day on Monday and were supposed to return for their full schedule Tuesday.
Volunteer High School entered lockdown around 8 a.m. (EDT), WVLT 8 reported, and parents are now being sent to the Mount Carmel National Guard Armory to reunite with their children.
The gunman reports have not been confirmed publicly by local law enforcement.
A post on the Hawkins County School District Facebook page advised parents to avoid the school and go to the Mount Carmel National Guard Armory to collect their children.
