67 schools of the Lee County School district had to be evacuated after a phone call to the South Fort Myers High School threatened the presence of a gun on the school campus, authorities have reported. South Fort Myers High and Cypress Lake High, the two nearby schools, were put on lockdown after the news surfaced. Authorities later announced that both institutions were free from danger at around 2 PM on Friday.

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Naples Daily News spoke to Rob Spicker, a district spokesperson, who said, “There is not an active shooter. The room they said it (the gun) was in does not exist”. Spicker further added, “The campus is being swept as a precaution.”

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO), as well as Spicker himself, believe that the phone call was a prank. Officers from the LCSO were called to the school after the report.

The Florida Fusion Center reports that a number of such prank calls have, known as “swatting”, have been reported from schools across the countries. Authorities are calling these incidents a “national swatting event”. 

Lee County violence spree

A number of threat as well as violence reports have emerged this week from Lee County. Local authorities have released press statements, which reveal that two students had threatened shooting up schools this week. One such student, a boy of 12, was later arrested for threatening to blow up a school bus. 

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Other incidences

Another report of the presence of a gun in a school was reported from McArthur High School in Hollywood, Florida. Besides McArthur High, West Hollywood Elementary School was also placed under lockdown following the report. Authorities later discovered that the threat call was a hoax. The Broward County Public Schools’ official Twitter handle later posted an update confirming that authorities have given the two institutions a “Clear” status.

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Daytona Beach’s Mainland High School as well as Davie Western High School in Davie were also placed under lockdown on September 9 after such false reports emerged.