Pittsburgh (PTTP) – On Wednesday, March 29, 2023, parents kissed their children goodbye before they began their workday. What was supposed to be a standard day almost quickly turned into a horrific nightmare. Central Catholic and Oakland Catholic were targeted among multiple schools across the state which then constituted a large police presence to enforce lockdowns and evacuation mode. This was due to “Computer generated swatting calls.”
Timeline:
10:30 A.M. – Pittsburgh Police alerted to threat at Central, and Oakland Catholic High Schools. Three separate 911 calls alleged that an active shooter was at multiple schools.
10:45 A.M. – Dozens of Police Officers, Firefighters, and EMS Crews were arriving to the scene.
11:00 A.M. – Pittsburgh police cleared the high schools where students had been in a shelter in place for 25-30 minutes.
12:46 P.M. PA State Police released a statement on Twitter: “We are investigating a series of phone calls made to 9-1-1 centers involving threats of an active shooter situation or bomb threat at PA Schools. At this time, all claims in these calls have been determined to be false. The investigation is ongoing.”
The mayor’s office issued a statement for Pitt to the Point:
“Pittsburgh, today I am grateful for the safety of our children and thankful for the quick response from our Public Safety Bureaus, County Sheriffs, Port Authority & University Police, State Police, the ATF, and the FBI. Their quick work helped us get the word out as soon as possible in order to help parents know that their kids were safe today.
Our children shouldn’t be afraid to go to school, and parents shouldn’t be afraid to send them there. As a parent, I understand that fear and will be holding my children a little closer tonight. We are working with PPS and our law-enforcement to provide additional support through the rest of the day as we continue to monitor the situation. Our Bureau of Police is working with State and Federal partners to determine where this call originated from and to identify the person(s) responsible for this senseless fearmongering.”
This was not just a Pittsburgh related incident. “Computer-generated swatting calls” was determined to be a hoax nationwide.