CAPE CORAL, Fla. — On Thursday, Cape Coral Police Chief Anthony Sizemore told Fox 4 the threat came from a prank call (swatting) and that the only thing police know at this time is that the caller had a male voice.
According to Chief Sizemore, the male voice caller told police at 1:08 PM on Thursday that six students had been shot at Mariner High School in Cape Coral.
We have received reports of a threat at Mariner High School. Police are on scene. Students and staff have been placed on a lockdown and we are working with local authorities. Additional details will follow. Mariner Middle has also been placed on a lockdown as a precaution.
— School District of Lee County (@LeeSchools) November 3, 2022
Sizemore said police were here at the school within two minutes of the call and immediately began their search of the school.
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— Cape Coral Police (@CapePD) November 3, 2022
Sizemore confirmed no threat was found, and there were no injuries at the school.
Despite the quick response from the police, Fox 4 asked Sizemore if there were other solutions.
"The solution I think is just going to have to be awareness to it. As the technology advances to be able to commit crimes like this the technology has to follow suit to be able to catch them and then the rest of the criminal justice system has to play its part to go with the deterrent,” said Sizemore.
Fox 4 did reach out to the FBI in Tampa to get a response to swatting calls.
The FBI is aware of numerous swatting incidents wherein a report of an active shooter at a school is made. 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 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.
On Thursday, Chief Sizemore said the caller was still unidentified and the caller's location was unknown.
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The district says students and faculty followed safety protocols as law enforcement checks.
Dear staff and families,
Earlier this afternoon, we received reports of a threat at Mariner High School. Cape Coral Police Officers have given the all clear to Mariner High school. There are no injuries and the threat is being considered a possible swatting call. Your children will return back to their classrooms and dismissal will return as normal shortly.
There will be an increased police presence in this area while the investigation is being conducted.
If you don’t need to be in the area, please seek an alternate route. Buses in the West Zone will be running late due to increased traffic as a result of today’s incident.
We are grateful for the quick response from local law enforcement and our students and staff who followed all emergency safety procedures.
Thank you for your patience and understanding.
The School District of Lee County.
