An anonymous, unsubstantiated call of an active shooter to all campuses in the Watson Chapel School District went straight to the local 911 command center, district officials and Pine Bluff Police said Tuesday.
The Metropolitan Emergency Communications Association (MECA) received a call reporting a potential active shooter “at Watson Chapel,” according to a news release from the Pine Bluff Police Department. The call originated near Watson Chapel Junior High School at the L.L. Owen campus, 3605 Oakwood Road, but the caller disconnected when dispatchers attempted to gather more information, according to police.
Pine Bluff detectives detained a WCJHS student. Police say that student is believed to be responsible for making the false threat.
District Superintendent Keith McGee said before the district sent a text alert that Arkansas State Police fielded the call.
The district said in the alert, which came in at 12:35 p.m., that a young lady called in anonymously to the 911 command center claiming an active shooter was in the district. The district said local law enforcement were dispatched to all campuses, who immediately responded with their lockdown protocols on their arrival.
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“Local law enforcement and the district security director cleared the buildings within 5 minutes,” the district reported in its alert.
Pine Bluff Police officers and Jefferson County sheriff’s deputies “arrived swiftly on the scene,” according to the PBPD. As of 1:32 p.m., according to police, no further reports or witnesses indicating an active threat on any campus has been made.
“Our officers remain on-site and vigilant, continuing their assessments to ensure that all students and staff remain safe,” police said.
“Thank you to the community for your patience and trust in our commitment to protecting our schools,” police said in closing.
McGee said no one was harmed due to the threat.
“We continue to work to ensure the safety of students and staff as it remains our top priority,” the district stated.
Questions seeking further comment have been left for the State Police public information office.
This is the second known threat of harm to a Watson Chapel campus this school year. A call of a threat deemed unsubstantiated came in to the high school on Aug. 21, forcing the campus to be vacated. One person who was reportedly not a student in the district was arrested before entering the building, and officers found illegal drugs and a weapon during a search without disruption to classes, according to the district.
The WCSD has been subject to a number of threats, most of them deemed unsubstantiated, since an on-campus shooting killed a freshman at the now-demolished junior high school in March 2021.