Local
Bomb threat call from school parking lot triggers lockdowns at three Murfreesboro schools
A phony bomb threat phoned in from the Blackmon High School parking lot Tuesday forced a two-hour lockdown at Blackmon High, a nearby middle school and an elementary school while deputies swept the campus. The Rutherford County Sheriff's Office says the threat was not credible and is now hunting for the caller.
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. â A bomb threat called in from a school parking lot Tuesday forced a lockdown at Blackmon High School and two neighboring schools, sending frightened parents to the campus and keeping students confined for more than two hours while deputies swept the buildings.
The Rutherford County Sheriff's Office said someone called the Blackmon High School main office at 11:30 a.m. with a bomb threat. Cellphone towers traced the call to the school's own parking lot, according to the sheriff's office, which set the emergency response in motion.
Deputies secured the high school along with a nearby middle school and elementary school, all of which were placed on lockdown. Cellphone video taken by students showed police officers outside classroom windows during the sweep.
Sgt. Laura Kunze, a public information officer for the sheriff's office, said deputies searched both the parking lot and the school building and determined the threat was not credible.
James Evans of Rutherford County Schools said district policy bars anyone from entering or exiting a building during a lockdown. "We try to keep everything as normal as possible, but we let law enforcement do their investigation," Evans said. "We do let students know after the fact, but we try to keep parents informed throughout. We sent three different updates to parents today to keep them as informed as possible."
Parents gathered at Blackmon High School seeking information as the lockdown stretched on. "I was terrified," said parent Shuntea Harris. Shalace Hudson, another parent, described the scene as "very unsettling to see emergency vehicles and not understand." She said it would be her daughter's decision whether to come home. "It was a stressful situation," Hudson said.
The sheriff's office said it is still searching for the person who made the call and that investigators are reviewing surveillance camera footage from the Blackmon High School parking lot. Classes were expected to resume as normal Wednesday.
The episode is the latest example of "swatting" â a false emergency report designed to draw a heavy armed police response to a school or home. Such calls have grown more common nationally, tying up law enforcement resources and traumatizing students, staff and families, often with little consequence for the callers. In this case, the hoax consumed more than two hours of instructional time and drew a large emergency presence to a campus of children.