12-Year-Old Arrested: Minnesota School Shooting Incident at New Prague a Prank
A 12-year-old has been arrested in connection with a Minnesota School shooter incident on Wednesday which resulted in the school campus being locked down and a mass police search for a gunman conducted.
Authorities have now reported that the entire incident was a prank, and that a 12-year-old is suspected of making the prank phone call to 911.
According to authorities, at about 8 a.m. local time an emergency call was made which prompted a lockdown at the middle school, high school and Central Education Campus buildings in New Prague, which is 45 miles southwest of Minneapolis.
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Scott County Sheriff Kevin Studnicka has revealed that the person who made the call was a male, and he told the 911 operator that he was inside one of the school buildings.
Studnicka has now reported to media: "He claimed he needed help because there was a shooter in the building with an AK-47 and that there were a couple of victims."
Dispatchers did attempt to identify the caller, asking him for his cellphone number, however, the boy claimed that it was a new phone and that he did not yet know the number.
Police were immediately dispatched to the campus and the entire area was put on lockdown. However, Police Chief Mark Vosejpka has now said that they were able to determine very quickly that no one had been hurt, and that they were likely dealing with a prank. Their efforts then centered upon locating the caller.
According to The Associated Press, many parents rushed to the area looking for their children, but were redirected to a local church to await news. Students were also dismissed early from classes, with the afternoon class schedule canceled.
In total the middle and high schools involved have a recorded enrollment figure of more than 2,000 children.
