Update: North Carolina officials say a report of an active shooter was a false alarm. “There’s no active shooter,” county emergency management director Tom Collins told reporters. “It’s a malfunctioning water heater.” Breitbart News’ original report is below:
Authorities in North Carolina are responding to reports of an active shooter at a high school.
Capt. James Rowell with the Pender County Sheriff’s Office tells WECT-TV that the scene at Topsail High School remains active, and there were no immediate reports of injuries Friday.
Reports of an active shooter came in around 6:30 a.m. No other details have been released.
Topsail High School is located near the coast in Hampstead, about 20 miles north of Wilmington.
Pender County school board Chairman Kenneth Lanier announced schools in the eastern part of the county would be placed on lockdown.
Schools spokeswoman Miranda Ferguson said school buses were rerouted out of caution.
“Buses for Topsail Elementary, Topsail Middle, and Topsail High are being staged at Lowe’s Foods across from Topsail Elementary. Parents who wish to pick up their bus riding student will be able to do so at Lowe’s Foods. All staff at Topsail Elementary, Topsail Middle, and Topsail High please report to Lowe’s Foods,” the school official wrote in a news release.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.