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There have been multiple reports today (September 21) of threats against Minnesota schools rolling in across the state. However, none of them have turned out to be real, according to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. Instead, they are most likely examples of "swatting."
Swatting is the action of making a prank phone call to emergency services in an attempt for them to dispatch a large amount of armed police officers to a particular address. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension tweeted today they were aware of multiple swatting incidents across the state. “We are aware of multiple swatting incidents involving active shooter events or mass casualties at schools across Minnesota. Local law enforcement are responding. No incidents have turned out to be real,” they said.
At about 10 a.m., law enforcement in Rochester responded to an active shooter call at Lourdes High School, according to KTTC-News. Ultimately, no threat was found. Officials at Rochester Public Schools said a student reported seeing a person sitting in a vehicle with a gun in the school's parking. However, that person turned out to be a member of law enforcement.
Schools in Mankato and Duluth also reported threats called in this morning, but have since determined there was no immediate danger to students or staff. In addition, public schools in Austin were on a lockdown following a threat. The lockdown was lifted as of 12:30 p.m. and the school officials are working with local law enforcement and emergency responders. They did not reveal if the incident is connected to the other threats.