Dade County Schools went into lockdown Monday after a caller threatened to carry out a mass shooting near the Dade County Public Library in Trenton, Georgia, sending law enforcement swarming toward the area while classrooms sealed their doors as a precaution. Hours later, officials said the entire episode was a hoax — a swatting call that appeared to originate from someone online.
The threat first came through Dade County E911's non-emergency line, where a male caller reported plans to shoot people near the library, according to WDEF. Dade County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Chad Payne described the call bluntly, telling NewsChannel 9, “We had a person call dispatch and say they were about to commit a mass shooting at the library.” Dade County Schools Superintendent Josh Ingle confirmed to Local 3 News that the lockdown stemmed from the alleged threat made near the public library in Trenton.
Authorities stressed early on that there was no direct danger to campuses even as the precautionary lockdown rolled out across the district. WDEF reported officials saying there were no immediate threats to any schools, but that extra units were still sent to each campus out of an abundance of caution. The Dade County Sheriff's Office, Trenton Police Department, Georgia State Patrol, and Georgia Bureau of Investigation all responded to the area, per the same WDEF report.
Lockdown Spreads Beyond the Classroom
The scare rippled well past school grounds. According to Local 3 News, all public Dade County government offices went on lockdown as well, a detail staff at the Dade County courthouse relayed amid the unfolding response. A few businesses in the Trenton area also locked their doors after hearing about the threat, Local 3 News reported. Notably, the library itself was not even open that day — the Dade County Public Library is closed on Mondays, Local 3 News noted.
Ingle told Local 3 News that Dade County Schools would remain locked down until law enforcement gave the all-clear, and for a stretch Monday, the threat had not been confirmed by authorities. Discover Dade's initial coverage reflected that uncertainty, reporting that the reported threat had not been confirmed as investigators worked the scene.
Swatting Call Determined, Lockdown Lifted
By later Monday, the picture had changed. Dade County Emergency Management determined the incident was a swatting call originating from someone online, according to Local 3 News's updated report. NewsChannel 9 likewise confirmed that the lockdown had been lifted according to Dade County Emergency Management, closing out hours of uncertainty for parents and staff across the district.
All Dade County Schools were released from lockdown, with student pickup proceeding on normal schedules, per Local 3 News. As a precaution, law enforcement was still set to be present at all Dade County Schools during car-rider pickup and bus release, the outlet reported.
Not an Isolated Incident
Dade County's scare echoes a similar false alarm that hit Meriwether County schools less than two weeks earlier. A call claiming violence was about to occur at Greenville Middle-High School eventually expanded into a lockdown of all six schools in that county, according to CBS News Atlanta. That county's sheriff later said investigators traced the call's origin outside the United States and found the threat not credible, while still defending the district's response. “Although our investigation indicates this threat was not credible, we will never take chances,” the sheriff said, according to CBS News Atlanta.
