PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office is currently investigating a phone call that resulted in a full lockdown of Landrum Middle School on Monday morning.
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]Sheriff’s
At around 7:30 a.m., Action News Jax first became aware of a lockdown at Landrum Middle School in Ponte Vedra Beach. Officers from the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office stated that school staff received a phone call from an unknown subject who stated that he was nearby, had a firearm, and wanted to “kill children”.
Upon receiving this call, staff initiated an emergency school lockdown, which alerted SJSO and their Real-Time Intelligence Center (RTIC). Analysts took over school cameras to monitor while a ‘tremendous amount of law enforcement’ was deployed to the school. The assigned resource deputy was already on the scene taking immediate action with officers.
Nearby, Ocean Palms Elementary, several minutes down the road from Landrum, was placed on a soft lockdown while officers conducted a proximity search.
Shortly after the lockdowns were placed, officers deemed that there was no credible evidence to support any threat to the school. The investigation done by SJSO revealed that the number that called the school could be traced to an international calling code, as well as being associated with a “swatting call”.
SJSO states that regardless of the circumstance, any alleged threats that can be directed at children are not taken lightly and will be pursued. SJSO Intelligence Unit is currently investigating the incident and working with federal law enforcement to determine the origin of the call.
Throughout the day, SJSO states that there will be a large police presence at all area schools to provide reassurance to the community.
The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office will be heavily monitoring all schools on Monday after a possible school shooting threat.
Click HERE to learn about hoax threats and the response that one may receive from local law enforcement or the FBI.
Stay tuned as Action News Jax finds out more.
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
