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Student charged with making hoax school shooter call in Henrico

Posted at 10:26 AM, Feb 21, 2019
and last updated 2019-02-21 12:34:28-05

HENRICO COUNTY, Va. -- A student was arrested in connection to a school shooting hoax which locked down The Academy at Virginia Randolph in Glen Allen.

"The Henrico Police Communications Center received a 911 call [Wednesday afternoon] stating that there was an active threat at the school. Henrico Police immediately responded to The Academy at Virginia Randolph as the school was put on lock down," a Henrico Police spokesperson said. "Police immediately entered the school campus and conducted a search of every room to ensure all students and staff were safe."

An investigation revealed a student was behind the hoax threat. The student has since been charged with falsely summoning law enforcement and disorderly conduct.

"We take every threat to our schools and our students/staff as credible until such time as we can prove otherwise, or we can mitigate the threat," Henrico Police Chief Humberto Cardounel said. "In today’s environment we cannot afford to gamble with the safety and well-being of our kids. Make no mistake, we investigate all threats and if we determine a threat to be a hoax or intentionally false, we WILL prosecute. These false calls pose a true threat to the rest of our community by diverting public safety resources away from people and situations that truly need them. This type of hoax for amusement will bear consequences to the fullest extent possible by law."

An "all clear" was given two-hours after the Academy at Virginia Randolph's lock down.

More than six dozen officers were assigned to the call, according to Crime Insider sources.

This is a developing story. Witnesses can send news tips here.

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