BEXAR COUNTY, Texas — District officials say everyone at East Central High School is safe after reports of a shooting ended up being a hoax Monday morning.
Several emergency crews responded to the school at 7173 FM 1628 around 9 a.m.
"This morning we got a 911 call of some sort indicating a shooting at the school," Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said.
The sheriff's office, along with other law enforcement agencies, went room by room checking the main building first, followed by the outer buildings. They said they found no evidence of a shooting on campus.
"I can tell you definitively that the situation is resolved. What we believe is it was a hoax, at this point." Sheriff Salazar said. "It is quite possible that this is what we would call a 'swatting' call. A swatting call, for lack of a better term, are calls that are hoaxes. It's pretty big with the gaming community and we have seen instances of swatting calls coming from other parts of the country."
Salazar said they received the name of a student who may have been involved and detained them. But authorities have not determined if that student was definitively involved in any way.
Many parents of East Central ISD students rushed to the campus after initial reports of an incident.
East Central ISD Superintendent Roland Toscano also gave an update from the scene, saying students could choose to stay on campus and classes may resume. Parents were also welcome to take their students home.
Around 10:30 a.m., a car line of parents picking up their kids was seen wrapped around the building.
Toscano also expressed dismay that this apparent hoax caused such stress and disruption.
"If this was done intentionally, I hope the person or persons responsible understand the sheer fear and panic from the students and parents, including myself," said Toscano, who has a student at the high school. "While we appreciate the rapid response and the comprehensive nature of the response, the fact that is coming as a result of a hoax is very disheartening."
'We thought we heard gunshots'
The number of fake threats, or "swatting" calls, is rising across the county.
According to the nonprofit Educators School Safety Network, nearly 64% of violent calls made at K-12 schools last year were fake reports.
“It's pretty big with the gaming community,” Salazar said. “We have seen instances where swatting calls can come in from other parts of the country, even other countries."
Investigators said they believe Monday’s 911 call came from out of the country.
"What triggered this response was we thought we heard gunshots in the background of the phone call,” Toscano said. “As a result, not knowing where that location of the call came from, we responded immediately with a lockdown."
In some cases, it is students making these fake threats. Juvenile Judge William Cruz Shaw said they typically see an increase in terroristic threat charges when school is in session.
"Especially after Uvalde, I think kids, teachers and parents are being more vigilant," Shaw said. "And when they hear these things, they're reporting it."
Swatting is a federal crime that could land those convicted of it up to five years in prison.
>MORE ON KENS 5: