No Weapons Found at Southridge HS, Threat Was Part of Hoax

KSD 9KSD)

According to information released by the Kennewick School District around 2 PM Friday, it was apparently a hoax.

Search turns up no weapons at Southridge HS

Shortly after 12 noon Friday, December 9th, KSD sent out an alert via their new Parent Square system, indicating SHS had been locked down because Kennewick Police got a call about a weapon in a classroom at the school. Due to proximity, Chinook Middle School and Sagecrest Elementary were also locked down.

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A search of the high school turned up no weapons. Here is what KSD sent out around 2 PM:

"Safety Alert

We have good news to share. Kennewick Police has now completed the search of Southridge High School and no weapons were found. All students and staff are safe. Southridge, Sage Crest Elementary and Chinook Middle School are no longer in lockdown. All indications are that the report was part of a coordinated "active shooter" hoax happening at schools around the state. Thank you to Kennewick Police for their response and for keeping our students and staff safe."

From the beginning, it was suspected this was part of a large-scale hoax perpetrated across the state and even the region. We have heard reports of similar issues in Spokane, and some of them also reportedly involved Tik Tok posts...but those have not been completely confirmed.