Morganton Public Safety along with several other law enforcement agencies responded to the North Carolina School of Science and Math – Morganton Campus on Friday afternoon around 12:15pm to reports of shots fired.
After officers cleared every single building for precaution and searched the campus it was deemed that the call made to 911 was a hoax. No students or faculty were harmed, and there is no suspect at this time
A statement from NCSSM – Morganton said, “Our community was on lockdown for approximately 30 minutes, and then we were able to sound the all-clear and resume normal operations. We appreciate all members of the NCSSM community for responding to the situation according to our plans and procedures and appreciate the quick response from local law enforcement. NCSSM-Durham received a similar false threat on Tuesday. We know these situations are difficult and challenging for the community, and we appreciate everyone’s calm and effective response. In both cases, NCSSM is cooperating with law enforcement as they investigate these false, malicious, and disruptive reports and whether the two incidents may be connected.”
Agencies that responded were Morganton Public Safety, Burke County Sheriff’s Office, North Carolina School of Science and Math – Morganton Campus and Broughton Police, North Carolina State Highway Patrol and Burke County Emergency Services.
Morganton Public Safety Chief Ryan Lander said, “This is a prime example of how well all law enforcement agencies work together in a time of crisis. I am proud of how the situation was handled today. Thank you to all our law enforcement and emergency management crews for their quick response.”