BUFFALO, N.Y. — The lockdown at Nichols School on Amherst Street in North Buffalo was lifted just before 10 a.m. Friday, two hours after Buffalo Police first received a call of an active shooter.
Buffalo Police spokesperson Mike DeGeorge said in a statement at 9 a.m. that BPD officers completed a sweep of the several buildings that make up the Nichols campus. There was no evidence of an active threat at that time.
In a news conference, Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia said threats were called into the police garage on Seneca Street and C District headquarters shortly after 8 a.m. Friday. The caller claimed he was going to shoot up the school and had bombs. There was the sound of gunfire in the background of the call.
"The mechanic that answered the call at the garage said the call was very staticky. He wasn't able to make out much, and then the call was disconnected," said Gramaglia.
The calls triggered an immediate response from Buffalo Police and school resource officers. The school was placed in lockdown as a precaution.
Multiple BPD cars from various districts responded to the scene, along with officers from the NFTA and the Department of Homeland Security.
"It was on the [police] radio. I was listening to [the response] as it was occurring. I heard the coordinated efforts of our patrol officers getting on scene, covering all sides of the building, getting into buildings. The response was appropriate. It was very fast," said Gramaglia.
"I commend the officers for their very quick response and their immediate entries into the buildings."
Police K9s were used to search the school.
"As officers were arriving on scene they were making entry into all of the different buildings. More cars were arriving. It took a little less than two hours for the campus to be fully cleared," said Gramaglia.
Students were given the all-clear around 10 a.m. and allowed to leave with their parents. The message to students was heard outside over the public address system.
Commissioner Gramaglia said detectives are working to trace who made the call.
He wouldn't comment on whether police thought the call came from someone in Western New York or if the two calls in Buffalo came from the same number.
He added that three other schools also had threats made against them. They are located in Batavia, Steuben County, and downstate, though he didn't specify where the third location was. He said part of BPD's investigation will be to determine if some or all of the calls were connected in any way or made by the same person.
"Our [newly created] threat management unit is leading the investigation from the Buffalo Police standpoint," said Gramaglia.
"We will conduct a full and exhaustive investigation, and anyone found to have made these fake calls will be prosecuted to the fullest extent."
City of Batavia Police Chief Shawn Heubusch released a statement Friday morning. He said a threat was also made against John Kennedy Intermediate School on Vine Street in Batavia just after 7:30 a.m. Friday.
Both Batavia Police and the Genesee County Sheriff's Office responded to the school, and they determined the threat was not credible.
"Even though Batavia schools are on break for the week, officers from both departments and the New York State Police immediately responded on scene as any type of threat of this nature is taken very seriously. As a precaution, officers checked all the schools in the city school district and schools across Genesee County to ensure the safety of students and staff. It has been reported that similar threats have been at other school districts across New York and nationally," said Chief Heubusch.
Gramaglia said Buffalo Police are working with the New York State Police and FBI in their investigation. No arrests have been made at this time. BPD will maintain a presence at the school Friday.
"Those who want to make these calls and maybe think they're being funny, they're being cute, it's not going to be tolerated," said Gramaglia. "We will push for the maximum penalties. Examples have to be set."