Finner on Heights High School incident: 'There was no active shooter'

Authorities said that Tuesday’s incident at Heights High School wasn’t a shooting but a hoax, Houston-based media outlets reported.

Law enforcement was summoned to the Houston Independent School District (HISD) campus at 413 E. 13th St. in the Greater Heights neighborhood around 1 p.m. to investigate reports of gunshots. 

Houston CBS affiliate KHOU reported that peace officers searched the school only to find no signs that an act of violence had taken place.

The Houston Police Department (HPD) tweeted at the time that there were no confirmed injuries.

Parents were directed to meet at a designated staging area at 306 E. 15th St. while authorities blocked off the vicinity from the rest of the public, Houston Daily reported.

The incident took place just a shade over three weeks after classes commenced for HISD and more than three months following the tragedy at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde that claimed the lives of 19 students and two teachers, the publication reported.

According to Houston ABC affiliate KTRK, authorities determined there were no shots nor a suspect.

“There was no active shooter,” Houston Chief of Police Troy Finner said, the station reported.

KTRK reported that Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner released a statement expressing gratitude toward police for their work.

“While the reports of an active shooter turned out to be false, we are reminded that student safety and school security are paramount on the minds of students, parents and employees of all school districts,” Turner said in the statement. “[Tuesday’s] response to the emergency calls reinforces how seriously our first responders take these incidents, and illustrates the constant training they undergo to take such quick and responsive action."

Houston FOX affiliate KRIV reported that the school district said a threat was made against the campus but there was no evidence to substantiate it.

Per KRIV, the call to Heights was part of a string of at least four false active shooter-related calls made in Texas and California.

Filing a false report is classified as a misdemeanor, with the possibility of more serious charges if a first responder suffers an injury or dies while responding to what turns out to be a false emergency, according to the station.