Clovis West High School was on lockdown Monday morning for the second time in as many school days after Fresno Police received a phone call from a caller threatening a school shooting, Lt. Bill Dooley said.
Dooley said police dispatchers received the call at 9:30 a.m. after it was forwarded by a Fresno County Sheriff’s Office dispatcher. He said he had not yet heard the audio of the phone call and couldn’t say whether the caller sound like the same person who phoned in a threat to Fresno police on Friday afternoon that sparked lockdowns at Clovis West and Fort Washington Elementary across the street.
Dooley said police units were at the northeast Fresno high school. “We’re working with Clovis Unified to make sure everyone is safe,” he said.
Clovis Unified also locked down Fort Washington on Monday while police investigate the reported threat at the high school.
Police and district officials determined that Friday afternoon’s threat was a hoax. The lockdown delayed the release of students from both schools.
Lockdowns Lifted
Clovis Unified announced at 10:14 a.m. that the lockdowns had been lifted after law enforcement, which included federal investigators, had determined that the threat was not credible.
Both schools will operate on “shelter in place” status for a short time before returning to normal operations, the district said in a news release.
Dooley said the caller Friday used a fake cell phone number that makes it hard for law enforcement to track.
The district announced at 10:42 a.m. that the shelter in place had been lifted and both schools had returned to normal operations. “Additionally, we have teams of trained staff onsite to support the emotional wellbeing of students and staff given the disruption these fake calls have created both Friday and today,” the district said in a news release.
