DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Reports of a shooting at Mainland High School in Daytona Beach prompted a "code red active shooter" alert and sent police and Volusia County deputies scrambling to investigate.
- Firecrackers prompted a "code red active shooter" alert
- Sound was mistaken for gun shots, students panicked
- Three people involved taken into custody
- Daytona PD will have extra patrols on campus Friday
The alarming sounds turned out to be firecrackers, Daytona Beach Police said. The agency says they have three people in custody for allegedly setting off the firecrackers.
The school district said a call came in at about 12:30 p.m. The sound was mistaken for gun shots, and some students panicked and ran.
Daytona Beach Police Chief Craig Capri says parents were running up crying thinking students had been shot.
A lockdown was put in place, and students were moved away from the area. According to Daytona Police, 50 to 75 law enforcement officers from several Volusia County agencies responded to the scene.
He says officers were able to determine within minutes that there was no real threat and that firecrackers caused the commotion. Casings were found in a stairwell.
However he says students were so scared locked in classrooms that some had panic attacks and needed medical attention.
One student we spoke to said she was just getting back on campus from lunch when she saw dozens of students running away from the school. She said she asked one of them what was going on, and they told her shots had been fired.
“I was shaking, I believed it 100 percent because its been happening all the time," Grace Rybolt said. "Thinking about it now still scares me so much because I could have easily been in there, and I could have easily been trapped in one of the classrooms during the lockdown and been hurt.”
The school district says firecrackers are not allowed on campus, and they will take stern action, including legal ramifications.
Daytona Beach Police in a tweet said the agency will have a strong presence on campus Friday as a precautionary measure.
DBPD also said officers have received messages about a social media threat regarding a shooting at Mainland High School Friday. The agency said they are aware and actively investigating the threat.