DAYTON — A threat by a Belmont High School student who was taken into custody by police outside of school early Wednesday spiraled into rumors of an armed student in the school later in the morning, panicking students, prompting a lockdown and worrying parents with yet another report of a firearm in an area school.
- Police responded to school about 10 a.m. Wednesday
- Report of a gun was unfounded, police said
- 30-40 police units, and fire medics, part of response
- Classes resumed at 11:13 a.m.
UPDATE@4:16 p.m.: The student taken into custody has been charged with making terroristic threats, and was booked into the Montgomery County Juvenile Justice Center, Dayton police said.
UPDATE @ 11:24 a.m.:
Dayton police tweeted that threats had been made between two students outside of the school. It was then circulated rumors of that a weapon had been it into the school that prompted a lockdown Wednesday, according to police.
PHOTOS: Belmont High School responds to threat
Nothing was found in the building during a sweep.
#BelmontHS Maj. Wiesman on threat at school: There were threats between 2 students outside of school which was taken care of by DPD. Rumors of these threats regarding weapon made it into school causing lockdown. Building was checked, nothing was found.
— Dayton Police Dept. (@DaytonPolice) March 7, 2018
Dayton police Major Joe Wiesman said the department was prepared to respond to a situation like this and were at the building within seconds. They met with parents and students in the school’s auditorium before sending students back to class.
Weisman said everything they planned for was well executed. He also echoed the department investigated the initial text message exchange and made an arrest in that case.
Students were unaware that the text message issue was resolved, so someone called police to report a possible person with a gun in the building.
UPDATE @ 10:45 a.m.:
Dayton police said a report of a student with a gun at Belmont High School was unfounded, according to a tweet posted around 10:40 a.m.
Police added that “everyone is safe.”
We received a report of a person with a gun at #BelmontHS. DPD personnel responded and the school was cleared. The call/information was unfounded. Everyone is safe.
— Dayton Police Dept. (@DaytonPolice) March 7, 2018
“A rumor began circulating there was an active shooter at Belmont,” Dayton Public Schools spokeswoman Marsha Bonhart said in a emailed statement. “Because any threat is taken seriously, Dayton Police and (Dayton Public Schools) safety and security brought students to the exterior grounds of the building as an investigation continued. There is no indication of an active shooter.”
Bonhart said a one-call was sent to parents alerting them of the situation.
A second, separate incident happened Wednesday morning before the gun threat, where one student texted another, asking if it was true they were going to shoot-up the school, Bonhart said. The student responded “no” but the responding student was arrested for the incident.
We’ll continue to update this page as details become available.
UPDATE @ 10:20 a.m.
Dayton police are currently investigating a report of a student that might have brought a gun to Belmont High School.
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The investigation and evacuation of the school are not connected to an earlier investigation of a possible threat at the school, according to a Dayton Public Schools spokeswoman.
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Medics have been sent to the scene to stage in the area, but there have been no reports of injuries initially, per scanner traffic.
Some parents have arrived at the school to pick up students, according to the Dayton schools spokeswoman.
We’ll continue to update this page as details become available.
FIRST REPORT
We’re working to learn more about an active investigation at Belmont High School in Dayton Wednesday morning.
Police responded to the high school at 2615 Wayne Avenue around 10 a.m. on reports of a threat at the school, according to initial reports.
Our crews on the scene report the school has been evacuated and students are outside the school.
Dispatchers said police responded to reports of someone in the school with a gun.
Earlier this morning, this newsroom received tips a threat was under investigation at Belmont High School, but a Dayton schools spokeswoman was not able to confirm threats were under investigation.
There have been no injuries reported, but multiple officers have responded to the scene.
We’ll update this page as details become available.
