Police respond to shooting hoax near Kennewick middle school
Kennewick police responded to a reported shooting near Highlands Middle School that turned out to be a “swatting” attempt.
Police responded to a call about a shooting around 11:30 Thursday near the 500 block of S. Perry Avenue, according to dispatch reports. The address is a home near the east side of the middle school’s ball fields.
An unknown caller told dispatchers that a person had been shot in the backyard of the home. When officers arrived on the scene, further information led them to believe the call was fake, according to a social media post from Kennewick police.
Officers used a drone to check surrounding yards and searched the area on foot, but found no evidence of anyone being wounded.
The school is on spring break this week, so no students were on campus.
“There is no threat to the public and this is determined to be a fictitious call,” the department wrote. “These calls pose a danger to the community and take away valuable resources from the city.”
Kennewick police will continue to investigate who called in the false report.
