Laconia High School a target in statewide shooting hoax

LACONIA — Laconia High School was one of several targets across the state of a series of active shooter hoax calls Thursday. In a message to parents, Superintendent Steve Tucker said a call was made to the Laconia Police Department with a threat to LHS. The school is not open for the week due to winter break, but police responded to confirm there was no threat.

“The Laconia Police Department determined that the call was a hoax and that the threat is not credible,” Tucker wrote. “We wanted to be sure you have this information. We are grateful for our school district's strong partnership with the Laconia Police Department.”

“We were one of many communities that received a hoax call of a person with a rifle on campus at the Laconia High School,” said Police Chief Matt Canfield. “Obviously it's vacation week, so school is not in session, so that was out of the norm. We responded, checked the area, but there was nothing, which also leads us to believe the caller was not local or in the U.S. if they don’t know it's school vacation.”

There are reports that calls were also placed to Lebanon and Hanover, but the total number of schools involved remains unclear. According to a statement from the state Department of Safety, calls reporting active threats occurred throughout the state, repeating a similar incident in December.

“We don’t have a complete list,” said Vanessa Palange, community outreach coordinator for DOS. “It is still an active investigation.”

Palange added that she was not yet sure who the lead agency was in the investigation. The FBI took the lead on the December hoax incident. 

“The previous investigation is ongoing as well,” Palange said.

“My guess, it’s a pretty tough investigation where the caller is most likely out of the country,” Canfield said. “The phone numbers that show up are foreign, and accents don’t mean much because they could be in any country.”

"The FBI is aware of the numerous swatting incidents wherein a report of an active shooter at a school is made and is working alongside our law enforcement partners in identifying the source of the hoax threats," wrote Kristen Setera, an agent for the Boston division of the FBI in an email to The Daily Sun. "Due to the ongoing investigation, we are going to decline further comment."

“At this time, these reports are believed to be a hoax,” Palange said. “However, all threats will be taken seriously until such time as their validity is determined. Everyone is encouraged to report any suspicious activity to their local law enforcement agency.”