CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — More than 100 parents waited outside Union-Scioto Local Schools on Tuesday as students remained locked down inside the building, even as Ross County Sheriff’s officials said they believed a reported threat of a mass shooting was not credible.
The sheriff’s office had received the report from the Chillicothe Police Department. A caller claimed to have a fully automatic firearm and said he planned to open fire on people on campus. The caller also reported he had “pipe bombs inside the buildings.” School officials later told parents by phone that the situation was similar to a series of bomb threats that affected other area districts earlier this year and that K9 teams were being sent from Columbus.
Sheriff’s officials initially released no information to the public, the district or staff. Some students who had already arrived were locked inside; others arriving later were turned away. Families who had dropped children off either left or remained in the parking lot seeking information.
After questions from The Guardian, the sheriff confirmed only that there had been “a threat.” He later said he was “positive kids are safe” and that he “believed the incident to be fake.” Despite that assessment, he said students would not be released and that no one would be evacuated from the building. He described the decision to keep the school locked down as one he “personally made.”
Multiple K9 teams and a bomb squad were still en route from Columbus, more than an hour away, at the time. The sheriff’s office continued to hold students inside while those units responded, even as parents remained outside demanding to pick up their children. Some parents refused to leave.
The report of explosives inside the buildings caused confusion among parents, who asked why students were not being evacuated if support teams were more than an hour away.
Members of the sheriff’s office administration were observed standing outside the building drinking coffee while parents asked for updates. No additional details about the nature of the threat, any search of the building, or a timeline for releasing students were released.
A reporter for The Guardian was at the scene. School and law enforcement officials had not provided further comment as of Tuesday morning.
