Police: Maine School Department sees fake active shooter threat

PORTLAND, Maine – Portland Police said an “apparent hoax threat” at King Middle School on Monday was under control.

In a statement, Portland Police spokesperson David Singer said officers were called to the school with a report of an active shooter around 9:40 a.m., and the school was closed.

Singer said the officers, later accompanied by school staff, had fully searched the school and found no indication of an active threat. The lockdown was lifted at 10:45 a.m., according to Singer.

The situation was viewed as a crash incident, Singer said, meaning police believe someone deliberately reported a false emergency.

Ruweyda Mohamed, an eighth grade student at the school, told NEWS CENTER Maine that she was across the street with classmates and teachers when police raided the neighborhood.

“We saw armed police search the school. We saw teachers near the windows there, ”Mohamed said. “We saw the police search the cafeteria, upstairs, downstairs, throughout the school. I was anxious. I was shaking a little – I was afraid something would happen to my friends or my teachers.”

“This reckless disregard for the safety and tranquility of students and staff in our community, not to mention the widespread misappropriation of critical emergency resources, is reprehensible,” Portland Police Chief Frank Clark said in a statement. Monday press release. “Our initial investigation led to the detention of a person of interest, and further confirms the belief that a plan or a real threat against students or staff did not exist. I thank the school staff for their collaboration.

The Portland School Department has allowed parents to pick up their children from Fitzpatrick Stadium.

The investigation of the incident is ongoing. Police are asking anyone with information about the incident to call 207-874-8575.