Calls of a shooter on campuses lead to cops swarming
Officers leave front door of Flomaton High School after securing building
Flomaton schools, along with other schools across the state of Alabama and the nation, were put under lockdown Tuesday morning after receiving calls that an active shooter was on the individual campuses.
No active shooters were located, but law enforcement officers in all areas responded.
Flomaton Police Chief Johnny Wilson said a call came into the landline at the police department at 11:31 a.m. with the caller claiming to be a teacher saying there was an active shooter at the high school. Wilson said the caller had a foreign accent and was difficult to understand.
All three Flomaton schools were put under an immediate lockdown and law enforcement officers from Flomaton, the sheriff's office and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency responded.
Similar calls of an active shooter also came in that there was an active shooter in Brewton, Bay Minette and Evergreen.
Wilson said officers cleared all three Flomaton schools and the lockdown was later lifted.
There were also reports of similar situations in north Alabama and in other states.
Chief Wilson said the telephone used to make the calls to Flomaton, Brewton, Evergreen and Bay Minette has been traced to a burner phone in Oklahoma.
"We're going to treat all incidents like this as a threat," Chief Wilson said.
Escambia County Assistant Superintendent George Brown praised the quick response from the law enforcement agencies when the call came in about the Flomaton schools.
"Unfortunately, this seems to be happening in many schools around the state," Brown said. "Safety protocols were immediately implemented. Police from Flomaton and officers with the Escambia County Sheriff's Office responded quickly."
Brown also said the schools' Centegix alert system worked as planned to alert teachers of the threat.
"A special thanks to the officers from the Escambia County Sheriff's office and the Flomaton Police Department for their quick response and for always working to keep our children and staff safe."
Chief Wilson said the case remains under investigation by multiple law enforcement agencies.
