Police across Pittsburgh area respond to 'computer-generated swatting calls' falsely claiming active shooters at schools

Parents and children in many communities are still reeling from the fear and chaos at schools Wednesday.

Active shooter threats sent police to several school districts across the state. Those calls were deemed hoaxes, but many felt fear.

"Part of what happened today is psychological trauma," said Dr. Jack Rozel, medical director of Resolve Crisis Services at UPMC Western Psychiatric.

He is an expert in emergency psychiatry and crisis intervention. Rozel said with the Nashville school shooting and now false school threats, calls for emotional help are already coming in.

"We've certainly seen a couple of calls, including a couple of mobile crisis calls related to this event," Rozel said.

He said fixing psychological trauma may take counseling and coping skills.

"The coping skills are what usually help when you are stressed out. … For the younger kids, is it a favorite toy, a favorite activity? For the older kids is it something more social?"

Rozel suggests when talking to kids, ask open-ended questions and do not probe.

"We listen with love and compassion. We ask open-ended questions, but we let them guide the conversation where they need it to go. We should be comfortable with them expressing some intense emotions right now."

He said to be aware of your own emotions, give yourself a break and find stress releases.

"Belly breathing, that breathing, the slow inhalation, holding then the slow exhalation. It sounds trivial, but it makes a profound difference in how our body responds to stress."

And he said distractions are a good thing.

"Intentionally doing something that is fun and distracting," Rozel said. "Going out for an ice cream, playing a card game, turning off the social media."

A spate of threats and false reports of shooters have been pouring into schools and colleges across the country for months, raising concerns among law enforcement and elected leaders.

Schools in Pennsylvania were the latest targeted by so-called swatting. Computer-generated calls on Wednesday made claims about active shooters, but it was all a hoax. One day earlier, nearly 30 Massachusetts schools received fake threats.

School officials are already on edge amid a backdrop of deadly school shootings, the latest Monday at a Christian school in Nashville.

Click here to see the issues involved.

The hoax calls that triggered chaos are not unique to southwestern Pennsylvania. Schools in Utah were also the target of swatting hoaxes on Wednesday. It's part of a nationwide pattern plaguing schools and police departments.

The calls appear to come in waves, and once one school gets one, it seems dozens of others in the same area begin getting similar phone calls that don't turn out to be anything.   

Blair, Bedford and Cambria counties reported the same hoax calls on Wednesday, and it's happening across other states.

In Massachusetts, 28 schools reported being targeted by hoax calls recently, and nine in Missouri. Fourteen others were reported in Rhode Island, the caller stating there was a shooter at the school.

"The swatting calls appear to be part of a nationwide pattern," said Missouri Highway Patrol Sergeant Mike McClure.

Other states include Minnesota, Nebraska and Kansas, which all report getting calls just this month.

A collaborative effort is underway on the local, state and national level to track down the caller or callers responsible for the hoaxes in Pennsylvania. 

You could see the very real fear on the faces of Oakland Catholic High School students as they were led from the building Wednesday.

"We didn't know what was going on necessarily," one student said. "And just like hid until we knew what was happening here now."

They hid as law enforcement worked their way through the school.

"They were knocking on our door and screaming, 'Police,'" another student said.

Everyone was safe, but many were shaken.

"Really got real," one student said. "You really never think it'll be your school."

And two hours later, the tears, for the most, were gone as the school was deemed safe. Students returned for their belongings and ran into the arms of their loved ones.

Classes are canceled at Central Catholic and Oakland Catholic for the rest of the week after they received hoax calls about an active shooter. 

In a statement, the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh said both high schools will start their Easter breaks early. Students and employees have been offered emotional support. 

The Oakland Catholic administration said it understands how students and staff need to be with their families after the "stressful situation." 

"Moving forward, we must work together as a community to try to prevent school threats and tragedies," a statement from the diocese said. "We will continue to do all we can to protect our schools through providing preparedness training, school safety audits, and working with law enforcement to enhance security measures."

The diocese thanked first responders for their "quick and caring" response. 

Law enforcement agencies responded to hoax threats made against multiple schools on the eastern side of the state on Wednesday.

CBS Philadelphia reports law enforcement responded to William Allen High School in Allentown, Catasauqua High School in Northampton and Lehighton High School in Leighton. Officers cleared each scene and determined there were no shootings.

Read more from CBS Philadelphia here.

Police swarmed the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh on Wednesday after calls for an active shooter came in. It turned out to be a hoax, but the officer's response was real.  

According to Pittsburgh police, they quickly learned the active shooter calls were not true, but they made sure both Oakland and Central Catholic high schools were safe. Law enforcement worked meticulously through each school, which are blocks apart from each other.  

"Within a minute, we were notified that there was no active shooter at Central Catholic," Acting Pittsburgh Police Chief Thomas Stangrecki said.  

As a precaution, Pittsburgh Police were assisted by several agencies. Some of them included the Allegheny County Sheriff's Department, Port Authority police, state police, the ATF and the FBI. Their first step was to clear Central Catholic and go room by room. Law enforcement then checked every area to make sure no one was causing any harm.  

"There was no active shooter. There was no one injured the students were locked down in place," Stangrecki said.  

Just as they finished this, they got the call for an active shooter threat at Oakland Catholic. They quickly responded and search the school. Students and staff there were escorted by officers, many of whom were heavily armed, across the street to St. Paul Cathedral. 

Many students showed emotion over the trauma of the event.  

"We treated it as a real incident. We were prepared to confront any active shooters in the building," Stangrecki said.  

After they cleared Oakland Catholic, they worked on reuniting students from both schools with their families. Mayor Ed Gainey complimented the quick action and hard work of all the first responders.  

"Our greatest asset is our children. We've got to keep them safe. We have to continue to work together to ensure that happens," Gainey said.  

The Beaver County district attorney said the active shooter reports were unfounded and all buildings were cleared, with the police chief giving the all clear.  

Hopewell Area School District Superintendent Jeff Beltz said all schools went into lockdown. 

Giovanni Petruska says it was fourth period when the principal got on the loudspeaker to say the school was going into lockdown and emphasized it was not a drill. Petruska says he immediately grabbed his cell phone to call his mom. 

"I was dropping my husband off at the airport and rushed down here. There were a lot of ambulances. It was pretty scary," Alyssa Petruska said. 

Other frantic parents raced to Hopewell as the news unfolded and waited nervously for updates. Parents later got the news they had been praying for: the reports of an active shooter were false and no one was hurt. One of those relieved parents was Jonathon Baldwin. 

"You never think it'll hit home, so it was a sad situation but never thought it would hit here in the community," Baldwin said.

Beltz said high school students were moved to the Hopewell Shopping Center to be bused home and all high school drivers were allowed to go back, pick up their cars and go home. 

Buses returned to the Hopewell Shopping Center to pick up the junior high school students for dismissal. 

All elementary schools left on regular buses at the usual dismissal time for childcare purposes, the district said. Elementary families could still pick up students if they wanted. 

Pennsylvania State Police said they're investigating phone calls made to 911 centers about unfounded threats of an active shooter situation or bomb threat at schools across the state.

"These phone calls were made to several schools in different counties. All calls have had similar content. All calls are being thoroughly investigated and responded to by law enforcement," state police said in a press release. 

The state police said they responded to all incidents in their primary coverage areas and have been in contact with municipal law enforcement partners who are investigating in their areas. 

"At this time, all claims in these calls have been determined to be false. All schools involved have been cleared or are in the process of being cleared by law enforcement," state police said. 

Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey spoke to reporters about the swatting calls received at Central Catholic and Oakland Catholic.

"First, I'm just thankful that nothing major happened, that's number one, just being thankful that nothing really occurred. We know that this environment we're in today, that anything was liable to happen and the bottom line is that nothing happened."

Gainey also thanked first responders in the city and from other agencies for their response. 

"Whatever it was, this robocall, however it got out, it continues to tell us the days and times that we live in. And that's why I always say it takes all of us, all of us have to be responsible for each other to make a difference and I think you've seen that today," Gainey said. 

Pittsburgh Police Acting Chief Thomas Stangrecki said a call came in around 10:18 a.m. for an active shooter with indications of multiple people down at Central Catholic. There was no active shooter and no injuries. The students were locked down in place, Stangrecki said.

At the same time, Stangrecki said a call came in for an active shooter at Oakland Catholic. While holding down Central Catholic, multiple agencies responded. The school was evacuated and was also cleared of any active shooters. Again, there were no injuries. 

When asked about identifying the caller, Stangrecki said Zone 4 has started an investigation and will work with other agencies like the FBI and Pennsylvania State Police to determine the source of the call and the identity of the person behind it. 

"I think everyone here can see the amount of police resources that responded today not only from Pittsburgh police but other agencies," Stangrecki said. "Certainly an active shooter is our first priority. We have resources throughout city, county state -- certainly manpower intensive but worth the effort to make sure everyone was safe and no one was hurt." 

He said it was a collaborative effort with other agencies and they will continue to discuss and determine who takes the lead in the case. He said they're working with other agencies when it comes to calls outside the Pittsburgh area as well. 

Several Massachusetts schools were forced into lockdown Tuesday after a series of hoax or swatting calls, CBS News Boston report.

The calls were received in Framingham, Foxboro, Mansfield, Franklin, Bellingham, Haverhill and Reading.   

The calls came after an actual school shooting at the Covenant School, a private Christian School in Nashville, Tennessee. Three students and three adults were killed in the tragedy. The 28-year-old shooter was also killed by police. 

As police departments and school districts across the region deal with multiple "swatting" calls, the FBI Pittsburgh Field Office has said it is working with local law enforcement. 

You can read their full statement below. 

"FBI Pittsburgh is aware of the numerous swatting incidents wherein a report of an active shooter at a school is made," the statement reads. "The FBI takes swatting very seriously because it puts innocent people at risk. While we have no information to indicate a specific and credible threat, we will continue to work with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to gather, share, and act upon threat information as it comes to our attention. We urge the public to remain vigilant, and report any and all suspicious activity and/or individuals to law enforcement immediately."

They also provided additional resources in their "Think Before You Post" PSA which can be found right here. 

While Norwin High School has not been among the districts getting the swatting calls today, it has been in contact with law enforcement. 

In a message from the superintendent, they said that "today's reports have been from a foreign-speaking male, reporting that there are six victims in a bathroom." 

Norwin did say that while it has not received a call getting one of these threats, it told parents and families that if it does get a call of that nature, it will be treated as an actual threat. 

Laurel Highlands School District was also among the schools and districts that received the hoax threats. 

Uniontown police were called this morning and an individual claimed to be "hold-up" in the high school restroom due to a claim of an active shooter. 

Police then investigated, cleared the school, and determined it was a hoax. 

You can read the district's full statement below:

"Starting at approximately 0800 hours today, a series of "swatting calls" have been received involving several schools in different counties within Pennsylvania, involving threats of an active shooter situation or bomb threat," Laurel Highlands said in a statement. "These calls have created lockdowns and/or evacuations of schools with a large response from police and emergency services. So far, these swatting calls have come in by phone by a male caller, with a middle eastern accent. All of the schools involved have been cleared or are in the process of being cleared by Law Enforcement. All calls have had similar content. Please remain vigilant, respond appropriately, and don't become complacent."

There will be an increased police presence at New Castle schools after another unfounded threat. 

According to the district, around 10:30 a.m., they received a call with a threat from a male voice saying they were going to shoot up the high school. 

The school was put on lockdown and after police investigated, they cleared the school. 

The lockdown has since been lifted but a "high police presence" will remain at the schools. 

Pittsburgh Public Schools has announced it is putting a modified lockdown in place for certain buildings. 

From the district website: 

"Out of an abundance of caution, Pittsburgh Public Schools Administration Building and Pittsburgh Science and Technology are operating on a modified lockdown. No one will be permitted to enter or exit the facilities without a prescheduled appointment."