Tuesday morning, law enforcement responded to reports that several students had been shot at Heritage High School.
Clark County sheriff’s deputies were dispatched at 8:23 a.m. to the high school, 7825 NE 130th Ave., after a 911 caller posing as a teacher reported seven students had been shot, the office said in a news release the sheriff.
The first deputy, who had previously been assigned as a school resource officer at Heritage, arrived two minutes later. Five more deputies arrived less than a minute later, along with numerous other law enforcement agencies, the sheriff’s office said.
Deputies said they quickly determined there was no school shooting and the call was a prank call.
“The Sheriff’s Office would like to thank all of the surrounding agencies that responded quickly to the call, the Clark Regional Emergency Services Agency that quickly and accurately processed and dispatched the information, and the staff and administration of Heritage that were prepared and worked seamlessly with the arriving emergency services,” the agency said.
The sheriff is investigating the origin of the call. Investigators say the caller’s accent and speaking style were similar to those who reported the false shooting at Henrietta Lacks High School in Vancouver on Sept. 16.
“This incident illustrates the need for law enforcement dedicated to the safety of our schools in Clark County,” the sheriff’s office said. “School resource officers were removed from unenrolled Clark County schools in 2020 when campuses were closed due to the pandemic.”
