Police outraged after multiple 'active shooter' alerts turn out to be a hoax across Wisconsin schools

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Authorities are outraged after at least 13 schools reported an alleged "swat call" of a possible active shooter situation early Thursday morning, Oct. 20.

State and local police have confirmed it was all a hoax.

Kenosha police told CBS 58 they are upset that a terrorist threat be taken so lightly.

"It's a very sick joke and it's something that cannot be tolerated," said Lt. Joseph Nosalik, PIO of Kenosha Police Department.

Lt. Nosalik added that they had received a tip that this possibly could have been a prank, but as duty calls, they proceeded.

"We still will never, ever dismiss anything as a hoax until we are there, with our own eyes and boots on the ground to say that nothing has happened," he said. "So, we did proceed with a full-scale active shooter response."

In Kenosha, authorities first received a call at around 8:11 a.m. of a possible active shooter at Bradford High School.

The lieutenant said pranks like this one cause a huge drain on public safety resources.

"When you get a call like this, of course every available resource responds to that school, therefore leaving the rest of the city, you know, kind of understaffed, if you will," he added.

The Kenosha Police Department, Kenosha County Sherriff's Department, Kenosha Fire and Wisconsin State Patrol all joined forces alongside federal law enforcement agencies.

"This is not a joke, there are secondary medical events that can take place because of incidents like this, people can have panic attacks, people can have heart attacks because of the stress that this creates," said Lt. Nosalik.

As of Thursday evening, CBS 58 has compiled a list of confirmed schools from north to south:

• Ashland Middle School (203 11th St E, Ashland, WI 54806)
• Stevens Point Area Senior High School (1201 North Point Dr, Stevens Point, WI 54481)
• Green Bay East High School (1415 E Walnut St, Green Bay, WI 54301)
• Sheboygan South High School (1240 Washington Ave, Sheboygan, WI 53081)
• Portage High School (301 E Collins St, Portage, WI 53901)
• Port Washington High School (427 W Jackson St, Port Washington, WI 53074)
• Rufus King High School (1801 W Olive St, Milwaukee, WI 53209)
• Franklin High School (8222 S 51st St, Franklin, WI 53132)
• Washington Park High School (1901 12th St, Racine, WI 53403)
• Bradford High School (3700 Washington Rd, Kenosha, WI 53144)
• LakeView Technology Academy (9449 88th Ave, Pleasant Prairie, WI 53158)
• South Park Middle School (1551 Delaware St, Oshkosh, WI 54902)
• Roncalli High School (2000 Mirro Dr, Manitowoc, WI 54220)

The FBI of Milwaukee also released a statement saying:

"The FBI takes swatting very seriously because it puts innocent people at risk. While we have no information to indicate a specific and credible threat, we will continue to work with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to gather, share, and act upon threat information as it comes to our attention."

At this time, this is still an open and ongoing investigation. It is considered a "terrorist threat," which is a felony, and if someone ends up dying as a result of such high stress levels, such as a heart attack, those responsible will also be charged with that.