COLERAIN TOWNSHIP, Ohio — The 911 call reporting an active shooter that put an entire school district on lockdown was made by kids who were laughing in the background.
Dozens of police officers responded to Pleasant Run Middle School Wednesday morning after the 911 call was made at 8:36 a.m. reporting a shooter at the school.
WCPO obtained the 911 call audio Thursday morning.
That call was made by what sounds like multiple children laughing while they reported that there was an active shooter.
"Come to Pleasant Run Middle School. We're having a shooter shoot up our school," one of the children said on the call.
You can listen to the call here:
Children heard laughing on 911 call telling police someone is 'shooting up' their school
The 911 operator struggled to understand what was being said with multiple voices of children and the laughter in the background.
According to police records, a number with a (911) area code called the police at least four times starting at 8:27 a.m. before making the false active shooter report at 8:36 a.m. There is no real 911 area code.
First responders got to the school within a few minutes of being dispatched and immediately started clearing both the middle school and elementary school, which are located on the same campus off Pippin Road in Pleasant Run near the Crown Hill Memorial Park and Mausoleum.
The all-clear was given and parents were allowed to reunite with their children around 10 a.m.
Police were able to track the number to a home on Houston Road about a mile south of the middle and elementary schools. No arrests have been made thus far related to the false call.
Pippin Road was closed in both directions near the schools at Cranbrook Drive while police investigated the threat. The road reopened shortly before noon.
The entire incident lasted around four hours.
The elementary and middle schools were closed Thursday so staff could make necessary plans to help emotionally support students when they are scheduled to return Friday morning.
"Our top priority is the safety and well-being of our students and staff," Northwest Local School District Superintendent Darrell Yater said. "Thank you for your cooperation and support as we work together as a school community to keep our schools safe. Always remind your children that if they see something, to say something."
The Colerain Police Department is still investigating the call's origin.
This is the second active shooter hoax in less than two months in the Tri-State.
In late September, Princeton High School fell victim to a nationwide school shooting hoax.
In the past three months, there have been at least five threats made at various schools across the Tri-State including an incident at Turpin High where a student was charged after allegedly threatening to shoot students and blow up a bus.
Since the start of the 2022 school year, there have been more than a dozen threats made against districts, schools, teachers or students across the Tri-State.
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