Michigan State Police say false school shooting reports are ‘coordinated campaign’

Police responded Tuesday to false reports of school shootings at multiple schools across Michigan.

“This morning there have been calls to Okemos High School and Jackson High School about an active shooter which has been found to be a hoax. Reminder that reporting a false threat against schools or business is a crime,” Michigan State Police First District tweeted Tuesday morning.

🚨HAPPENING NOW!!!🚨 This morning there have been calls to Okemos High School and Jackson High School about an active shooter which has been found to be a hoax. Reminder that reporting a false threat against schools or business is a crime.
— MSP First District (@MSPFirstDist) February 7, 2023

According to a Michigan State Police (MSP) letter sent to school districts, posted on Facebook by Muskegon Public Schools, “the [Detroit and Southeast Michigan Intelligence Center (DSEMIIC)] and the [Michigan Intelligence Operations Center (MIOC)] have become aware of several swatting calls that are targeting educational facilities around the state, including K-12 schools in Detroit, Jackson, Ann Arbor and Okemos.”

MSP said that the DSEMIIC and the MIOC “assess that these are the actions of a coordinated campaign” targeting Michigan schools.

“At this time, neither the DSEMIIC or the MIOC are aware of any specific or credible threats to K-12 educational facilities in Michigan,” MSP wrote in the letter.

The letter to schools says that multiple law enforcement agencies reported that the caller, with a heavy accent, stated the school’s name, gave the address for the school, stated that they are a teacher in the school, reported that a student has shot another student and stated the shooting occurred in room numbers that are found to not exist in the school.

Michigan State Police did not respond to a request for further information or a list of all affected school districts.

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