Update to an earlier report: This article includes new information about a story we previously covered. Read our earlier report.
Marist School in Brookhaven lifted its lockdown by early Wednesday afternoon after police found no weapons or explosives. The lockdown followed threatening phone calls that prompted security responses at several metro Atlanta schools.
Brookhaven police and officers from DeKalb County, Chamblee and Dunwoody responded to Marist at about 10 a.m. Brookhaven Police Chief Brandon Gurley said the initial report alleged that a person or people in the parking lot had a rifle and that explosive devices had been placed around the school.
Investigators learned that other metro Atlanta schools, including two in Atlanta, received the same threat from the same phone number.
Gurley said police suspect the call may have been a swatting prank. Investigators are working with federal partners to determine its source, which they believe was out of state. They are also examining whether artificial intelligence was used to generate the threatening call.
Marcus Jones
News Now Georgia
