Charges Pending Against Brownsville Student Accused Of Reporting Gun In Prank Call
BROWNSVILLE, Pa. (KDKA) - Charges are pending after an 11-year-old student allegedly made a prank call about a gun at Brownsville Elementary School, prompting a lockdown.
The student called 911 on Tuesday and said there was a gun in the school, the superintendent said in an email to parents. The school was placed on lockdown, and state police were called.
"We were in lockdown and we had to stay at our desks," second-grader Lilly Orris said. "A little nervous because it never happened before."
Orris' mother, Amanda Rice, described to KDKA when she knew something was wrong.
"I got a message from my daughter's teacher around 2:30 in the afternoon that said, 'Parents, we are ok.' I thought, 'Ok, that's unusual,'" Rice said.
The student admitted to making the prank call, the district said. Listening to the recorded 911 call, police said it was determined that the firearm mentioned was someone talking on a video playing in the background on another phone.
The call was made by the fifth-grade student from a deactivated cell phone connected to Wi-Fi.
A juvenile allegation will be filed with the Fayette County Juvenile Probation, state police said.
The lockdown was lifted around 3:30 p.m. and students were released.
"You really don't know what to expect with everything you see on the news today in terms of school shootings," Rice said. "It's scary."
"Thank you for your patience during this extremely stressful time. We appreciate everyone's contributions today allowing all of our students and staff to return home safely tonight," the superintendent's email said.
State police dogs will stay in the building Tuesday evening to make sure every room and hallway are safe for class Wednesday.
