BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Buffalo police responded to Nichols School just after 8 a.m. Friday for reports of an active shooter and the school has since been cleared.
Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia said a call came into the police garage on Seneca Street and it was unclear, staticky and the call dropped. Another call came into the C District station house and an individual stated he was going to shoot up the school and that he had bombs, Gramaglia said the sound of gunfire played in the background.
According to Gramaglia, the school immediately went into lockdown procedure and officers were on the scene quickly and made entry into the buildings. Due to its size, it took around two hours for the school to be cleared.
Gramaglia said police became aware of three other schools across New York State that received similar calls. One was in Batavia, another in Steuben County, and a third downstate.
The Batavia Police Department issued the following statement Friday:
“At approximately 7:39 a.m. on Friday, February 24th, officers from the Batavia City Police Department and the Genesee County Sheriff’s Department responded to a phone call in which a threat was made against John Kennedy Intermediate School on Vine Street in the City of Batavia.
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 is still early in our investigation, but we have determined the threat to John Kennedy Elementary School not to be credible. It has been reported that similar threats have been at other school districts across New York and nationally.
We appreciate the cooperation and assistance of the Batavia City School District on this matter as we continue our investigation with our law enforcement partners at the local, state and federal levels on our investigation.
People making these types of threats should know they will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
The Buffalo Police Department Threat Management Unit is leading the investigation into the incident at Nichols and is working with New York State police and the FBI.
While many local public schools are on break this week, some schools continue classes and activities. Nichols' winter semi-formal is scheduled for Friday night.
