RUSK, Texas — Rusk ISD says the information initially received about a suicidal person coming toward the high school with a gun came from a hoax call to Rusk City Hall.
In a statement on Facebook, Superintendent Grey Burton said the information came from a person calling city hall saying there was an armed person going toward Rusk High School.
"We immediately went on lockdown and law enforcement went to each campus. We believe this call was a hoax," Burton said in the statement.
Students were then released from school at 4 p.m.
According to initial information from the Rusk Police Department, officers were made aware of a suicidal person with a weapon walking toward the high school and all campuses in Rusk were placed on lockdown for safety. However, in an update, the police department said an investigation determined this incident was a hoax.
Rusk Police Department Chief Scott Heagay said a multi-agency investigation showed the name given on the call was fake. The voice was also determined to be a voice over Internet protocol, a technology that allows people to make voice calls using a broadband Internet connection instead of a regular phone line.
Heagay added officers were not able to trace the phone number back to a specific subscriber, leading them to believe the incident was a hoax. He said the event was a spin of the trend of swatting.
"Unfortunately, this is the society we live in. We want to make sure our kids are safe," Heagay said.
In both instances, police continued to say there was no danger inside the schools.
Rusk police said there will be extra officers at the athletic practices Wednesday night, at the campuses Thursday and for the home games Thursday after school.
He added that officers have planned and trained in the event of like this, and he's grateful that everyone, including the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office, pulled together to help.
CBS19 will update this story as more information becomes available.