Reported Active Shooter At Denver High School A False Alarm, Police Say

DENVER, CO — There was no active shooter Monday at East High School in Denver, despite a report to the contrary, authorities said.

Police received a call shortly before 2 p.m. from a man claiming to be an East teacher who said there was an active shooter at the school, described a suspect and hung up, according to police.

Officers were on the scene minutes later, students were evacuated to the football field, and law enforcement searched for threats but found none, police said.

“I want to applaud the students, I want to applaud the East community for their diligence,” Denver Public Schools Department of Safety Chief Michael Eaton said at a press conference posted Monday afternoon on Twitter, noting the school was locked down one minute after the initial call to police.

Denver Chief of Police Ron Thomas said it took about 90 minutes from the first call for authorities to determine the scene was clear. There were some issues with people suffering heat exhaustion while they waited on the ballfield, he said. Temperatures Monday reached the high 80s in Denver, according to the National Weather Service.

In light of the incident, all practices and activities were canceled Monday at East, the school announced on Twitter.

Police do not believe the active shooter call actually came from a teacher but rather that it was made by someone outside the school building, Thomas said, noting there have been similar reports across the country, including at other Colorado schools. The Denver caller could face a local interfering charge as well as federal charges, according to Thomas.

While responding to the call, officers made contact with a person who matched the description of the shooter, Thomas said, clarifying that that person had been arrested in connection with an unrelated offense.

Denver police, school district security, Colorado State Patrol and Auraria Campus Police all responded to the incident, according to authorities.