DANVERS, MASS. (WHDH) - Authorities said an officer’s firearm accidentally went off while police were responding to what turned out to be a “swatting” hoax call at St. John’s Preparatory School in Danvers on Monday.
Police said they initially received a call around 2 p.m. reporting a man with a gun in the Catholic, all-boys school. The campus with more than a thousand students went into lockdown. And while police said officers were able to quickly determine that there didn’t seem to be a threat or active shooter, the accidental shot in the school’s Benjamin Hall added a layer to the situation.
“It was terrifying,” one student told 7NEWS. “We just looked out the window and saw everyone running out the building.”
“A lot of kids were having panic attacks,” another student said. “It’s completely reasonable.”
Officials said several additional people called 911 after the officer’s gun fired, prompting a massive tactical response from the Massachusetts State Police and departments in surrounding communities.
Because the St. John’s campus is so spread out, police added, it took time to relay the message about what had happened.
“It was a very fluid situation,” Danvers Chief of Police James Lovell said. “We were in the building. The fire alarm was going off. It was very difficult to hear. We were clearing classrooms one by one, so it was difficult to actually transfer the information to the officers.”
Some students fled the building as events unfolded. Some families were later able to reunite on campus. Others reunited at a Stop & Shop down the street.
“It was unbelievable,” parent Deb Murphy said. “My phone started blowing up and I got a text from one of my kids and started shaking and fortunately wasn’t far from the school.”
“We got active alerts of what was going on, where to meet your kids, that the school has been cleared and it is safe,” Murphy continued. “Dr. [Ed] Hardiman got up in the graduation tent and had everyone’s attention, got everyone to take a deep breath and support one another and apologized anyone has to go through this and just prayed together.”
In the wake of this incident, and as investigators work to trace the call that drew the initial response, St. John’s Prep’s headmaster said there is work ahead to support school community members after a traumatic experience.
“Some of us are going to be okay,” Head of School Ed Hardiman said. “Some of us are going to be really traumatized by what’s happened and it’s our responsibility to reach out to each other, to support each other and to care for each other.”
Officials announced on Monday night that there will be no classes at St. John’s Prep on Tuesday. Classes are scheduled to resume on Wednesday.
Officials said emotional support will be available for students and staff.
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